Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has hailed the newly assented Conflict of Interest Act, 2025, as a monumental step in the government's fight against graft.
The landmark legislation, which President William Ruto signed into law on Wednesday, July 30, is set to overhaul accountability in public service. Speaking shortly after the signing, the Deputy President asserted that the Act marks a decisive turning point in Kenya's long-standing battle against graft.
He emphasized that the comprehensive new law is designed to plug existing loopholes that corrupt public officials have notoriously exploited to enrich themselves at the expense of national coffers.
Kindiki said the Act strengthens the anti-corruption framework by consolidating all relevant provisions and empowering the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) with greater oversight.
"The new law not only closes the loopholes corrupt officials have been exploiting to steal money from public coffers, it also makes it much more difficult for them to use proxies to advance corruption," Kindiki said. He added that the EACC now possesses the necessary "levers to advance the fight against graft, abuse of power and the manipulation of public trust for private gain."
Kindiki said that the law now replaces the old Public Officer Ethics Act with stronger rules and more power for enforcement.
He added that this law gives the Ethics and Anti‑Corruption Commission the power it needs to fight corruption, misuse of power, and the betrayal of public trust for personal gain.
"The Ethics and Anti‑Corruption Commission (EACC) now has the levers to advance the fight against graft, abuse of power and the manipulation of public trust for private gain," he added.
Speaking after the signing, President Ruto said the new law sets clear rules to ensure public officers serve with integrity, transparency, and accountability.
“This is a very consequential moment in Kenya. We are making it much more difficult for people to take advantage of the offices they occupy,” he said.
Under the law, public officers must declare their income, assets and debts, as well as those of their spouses and dependants, every two years. These requirements now also apply to officials who were previously exempt.
This new law combines all rules on conflicts of interest into one framework. It bans public officials from giving special treatment in the performance of their official duties, entering into contracts with organisations of which they are a member, owning interests in such organisations, accepting job offers that could influence them later, or holding additional employment that conflicts with their official duties.
The Act also grants EACC full authority to oversee recusals, declarations and complaints. It also enables the commission to initiate the forfeiture of undeclared or unexplained assets.
