President William Ruto is set to overhaul Kenya’s public sector with a groundbreaking anti-corruption framework, aimed at tackling the pervasive issue of financial misconduct within government agencies. This ambitious plan seeks to enforce stringent measures on civil servants, with a focus on financial transparency and accountability.
The proposed reforms will mandate all civil workers to declare their wealth, coupled with regular audits to ensure accuracy and integrity. Public officers found negligent in their duties, resulting in financial losses, will face penalties under the new framework.
Ruto emphasised the gravity of these measures, stating, “We shall introduce measures to levy a surcharge against any public accountability officers or other public officers who have by actions of omission or commission lost public resources in accordance with Article 225 (201) (d) and Article 232 (b) of the Constitution.”
This sweeping initiative includes a unified personal identification system for all government employees, extending to constitutional offices.
The President, who spoke while swearing in the new Cabinet on Thursday, August 8, at State House Nairobi, detailed that the new framework will establish a comprehensive wealth repository, enabling more effective tracking and management of financial declarations across the government.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission estimates a staggering Ksh 608 billion is lost annually due to corrupt activities. To combat this, the President announced plans to implement a zero-based budgeting system starting in the 2025/26 financial year.
This system aims to overhaul the budgeting and expenditure processes, ensuring that every cent is accounted for from the ground up.
“We shall use the power of ICT to radically diminish opportunities for corruption, conflict of interest, and abuse of office by digitising procurement processes to make them open and transparent,” Ruto stated.
This digital transformation is expected to significantly reduce corruption by making financial transactions and procurement more visible and traceable.
Ruto has also pledged to support a transformative agenda within the public sector. “I give you my assurance of my full support in discharging your mandates and in executing a reimagined and catalyzed transformation agenda. My support for you ends if it conflicts with my accountability to the people of Kenya,” he affirmed.
Further addressing the issue of prolonged legal proceedings, Ruto vowed to reform the judicial system to expedite corruption cases. Last month, speaking at a roadside rally in Kilifi, he promised amendments to the law to ensure corruption cases are resolved within six months. “We will not be taking corrupt officials to court and the cases take up to 10 years.
