The government intends to initiate a study to verify the veracity of the statements made by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2021 regarding Kenya’s daily loss of Sh2 billion.
At the consultation conference between the State and Civil Society organizations in Nairobi, Felix Kopskei, the Head of Public Service, stated that a donor was willing to fund the complete report.
“The assertions may be true or untrue; I am unable to verify them on my own. However, we have a donor willing to provide funding for research to determine the precise amount we are losing each day, and a report will be issued as a result. “The study is almost ready to be commissioned,” he stated.
According to Mr. Koskei, the administration was particularly annoyed with the way counties could accrue billion-dollar debts without having to wait for the government to pay them; this indicates that corruption had crept into the devolved entities.
The head of the public service warned public employees against indulging in corrupt activities as they would be dealt with harshly and declared that corruption would not be tolerated by the government.
“Any public employee found to have engaged in corrupt activity will face personal consequences.” There won’t be any holy cows, the president has made that clear. He stated, “If you get caught, you have to face the repercussions, which involves replacing yourself.
In addition to an anti-graft watchdog, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, civil societies such as Haki Afrika, County Governance Watch, Siasa Place, International Budget Partnership, Mzalendo Trust, and NGO Coordination Board were urged to step up public education on the perils of corruption and rally support for the cause.
“We need every agent to be part and parcel of this war as a government, and we will work with you (civil societies) and institutions to undo the damage corruption has brought to our country,” the Head of Public Service declared.
According to Mr. Koskei, in order to combat corruption effectively, Kenyans must first be taught to realize that the vice—which encompasses bribery, fraud, extortion, favoritism, and kickbacks—is unacceptable and ought to be avoided.
Hussein Khalid, the executive director of Haki Africa, encouraged the government to guarantee that the law is strictly followed and that Kenyans are provided with services, in addition to concentrating on instances of corruption.
Corruption also includes denying services to some people in favor of others. It is concerning that the State will not acknowledge the killings and acts of police violence against Kenyans earlier this year. He declared, “We cannot be here combating corruption while endorsing impunity.
Although the president was eager to combat graft, Diana Gichengo, the National Coordinator for the Institute for Social Accountability, stated that he should follow the law and refrain from using threats in the process.
