EACC directs salary review for Kenya border point employees

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission CEO Halake Waqo

NAIROBI: State agencies manning border entry points have less than a month to review terms of service for their staff, the anti-graft body has directed.

According to the directive contained in a report on the country's border points, all the said agencies have been asked to liaise with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to harmonize their staff terms of service.

This follows the report's revelation of unhealthy competition due to huge wage disparities among the employees that has contributed to rife corruption and poor service delivery.

"The low staff morale provides room for engaging in unethical corrupt practices with the possible desire and intent to conform to the lifestyles of contemporaries who are better remunerated," reads the report in part.

The report recommended that all government agencies engaged at POE should liaise with SRC with the aim of improving their staff pay.

"(Agencies) should make a case for harmonization of all terms of service for all staff at the entry ports in order to improve the overall service delivery and pay," read the report by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Some 11 state agencies were surveyed by EACC undercover investigators among them Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Department of Immigration, Kenya Airports Authority, Department of Refugee Affairs, and Kenya Airport Police Unit.

Apart from wage disparities, an acute shortage of staff was also revealed that is not only to blame for the poor service delivery but pose as a security risk.

"Customs and immigration officers do not operate in some gazetted POE due to staff constraints. But instead travel to some (POEs) like Vanga only on particular days," read the report.

This gives room to illegal immigrants (with goods) getting in and out of the country undetected: "In some POE's clerical officers were performing roles that they are not equipped for hence poor service."

EACC did also observe a CCTV control room at KAA with three workstations being manned by one officer: "All these are weaknesses that may lead to failure to capture to report and to act on irregular activities at the airports."

The report also revealed that CCTV coverage does not include some areas such as immigration, customs, conveyor belt, incoming luggage areas, inside duty free shops and outside of most gates in some airports.

Being that Kenya has over 30 airstrips that have not been certified while others not yet licensed, most of these strips like Lunga Lunga are not always manned.

"Such strips pose a serious security and safety risk and could facilitate crimes such as drugs and human trafficking, terrorism and smuggling of illegal goods in the country," EACC said in the report.

Apart from remuneration and ensuring that all POE are well staffed, the report also recommended that all agencies share information as there was a lot of overlapping of duties among them.

In a statement, EACC boss Halakhe Waqo said the report's recommendations were very clear on how to seal all the corruption loopholes at the border points.

"In order to implement these recommendations, the affected institutions will be required to develop an Implementation Plan within four weeks and share it with the commission," said Waqo.