President William Ruto on Tuesday called upon the National Assembly and the Senate to expedite the Conflict of Interest Bill 2023 for it to be passed promptly.
Ruto spoke after assenting to the law the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.
He added that this was part of the plan to hold everyone accountable and ensure Kenya deals with the menace of corruption. Ruto revealed that the other strategy that the government was employing to tackle this was through creating the Public Debt Audit Committee.
"I want to encourage Parliament to expedite the Conflict of Interest Bill that will support our anti-corruption measures, especially in relation to public officers," he remarked.
The Head of State emphasised that he was confident that Kenya would resolve this matter if there was unity. He asked all leaders including those in the opposition to rally behind one common cause — national unity.
Notably, this bill allows state officers and their families to do business with the government. It was sponsored by Narok Senator Ledama Olekina who pushed for the removal of a clause requiring public officers to declare their income, assets and liabilities.
President Ruto's request came at a time when Kenyans have opposed the bill arguing that it created a loophole for rogue officials to misappropriate public funds.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) was among the institutions opposing the bill. On July 7, the commission argued that if the bill was signed into law, the fight against corruption in Kenya would be deflated.
"What Senator Olekina and 24 other senators unanimously did in mutilating the Conflict of Interest Bill 2023 to weaken the existing anti-corruption law," the commission stated.
While responding to the criticism, Senator Olekina urged Kenyans to read the bill for themselves to avoid being misled.
"EACC are making a big deal on the Senate amendments to the Conflict of Interest Bill because their budget has been cut and they wanted more responsibilities so that they can demand more money from the Consolidated Fund," he added.
Meanwhile, during the event, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka called upon President Ruto to direct the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome to order all police officers from the streets as protests continue.
He reiterated that the IG must heed his call or resign. The former Vice President urged the Ruto-led administration to listen to the demands made by Gen Zs or risk being ousted.
His words were echoed by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who emphasised that it was necessary to engage the young Kenyans.
