President Uhuru Kenyatta, whoi has told all agencies involved in the war
against corruption that their performance will be judged on the number
of cases they win. FILE PHOTO | SALATON NJAU |
NATION MEDIA GROUP
President Uhuru Kenyatta has told all agencies involved in the
war against corruption that their performance will be judged on the
number of cases they win.
The President, who spoke
after receiving a report from an anti-corruption task force, said the
success of the fight against corruption will be measured by the number
of corrupt individuals who are successfully prosecuted and sent to jail
and the size of the property recovered.
He said the
agencies responsible for fighting corruption must work together in order
to make a meaningful impact in the efforts to control the misuse of
public resources.
“It is possible to have successful
prosecutions, but the problem is clearly a lack of focus and
coordination between the agencies involved in the anti-corruption war,”
said the President.
Mr Kenyatta noted that it has been an important week for the fight against graft in Kenya.
This
week alone 72 individuals, including a principal secretary and five
managing directors were arraigned in court on corruption-related
offenses. This brings to 352 the total number of high-profile
personalities charged in court for corruption or abuse of office in the
last six months alone.
CORRUPTLY ACQUIRED ASSETS
The current anti-corruption onslaught is the most heightened assault against corruption in Kenya’s recent history.
The
President also directed Attorney-General Githu Muigai and Head of
Public Service Joseph Kinyua to put the Asset Recovery Department at the
State Law Office into operation so that it can execute its mandate in
full.
President Kenyatta said the asset recovery
department should be active and vibrant so that it is in a position to
recover all property procured through corrupt means.
The
asset recovery department is also supposed to ensure that it freezes
all property connected to corruption suspects so that they do not use
their wealth to delay justice.
“Corruptly acquired
assets should never be used to frustrate justice,” said the President,
who spoke at State House on Friday after receiving the report from the
Task Force of the Legal, Policy and Institutional Framework for Fighting
Corruption in Kenya.
The task force, formed through a
directive issued by the President in March this year, explored obstacles
that weaken the anti-corruption objectives of the government.
The
Attorney-General, who heads the multi-agency task force, said the
report recommends radical changes to the anti-corruption law aimed at
boosting the efficiency of the agencies involved in the fight against
the vice.
CODE OF CONDUCT FOR PARLIAMENT
“The
report recommends radical changes to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption
Commission, including how it relates to the Director of Public
Prosecutions,” said the AG.
The report also recommends
that corruption cases be handled at the High Court level rather than in
the magistrate courts to improve efficiency.
“So much
time is lost between the magistrate courts handling corruption cases and
the High Court because suspects will not miss issues to raise at the
constitutional court,” said the AG.
The report also recommends an integrity code of conduct for Parliament to deal with impropriety within the ranks of lawmakers.
The report also calls for stronger internal audit systems for the Judiciary to safeguard public funds.
Also
addressed by the task force is the issue of amnesty and restitution,
with the Attorney-General revealing that there are many cases where
suspects are willing to return what they procured illegally. He said
most of these requests have been pending because there have been no
rules to govern the process.
The report also contains
recommendations on how to deal with the emerging problem of corruption
at the devolved levels of government.
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