Office couples to be axed in graft purge

The government has given married couples working in key parastatals the devil of a choice — agree who between them is going to quit their job within six months. Religious books say that none should separate man and wife, but the government is convinced that married couples contribute immensely to corruption in parastatals.

It has, therefore, forbidden man and wife from working in the same parastatal and given couples six months to make up their minds who is going to throw away their careers. The order affects six parastatals which fall under the Ministry of Finance and which are said to be populated with couples, both married and partners, working mostly in different departments.

While a number of them were married before joining the public service at different stages, some met at work. Finance Permanent Secretary Joseph Kinyua has written to the heads of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Capital Markets Authority (CMA), Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA), Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), and Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA) to inform them of the decision.

In the confidential March 20 memo, Mr Kinyua directed the parastatal bosses to ensure that one in every married couple and those living together have been edged out of the institutions by end of September. “The Treasury has decided that all state corporations be required to reduce the opportunities for conflict of interest by embracing among other policies that of not allowing married or partnered employees to work in the same organisation. It is our wish that we lead in this direction,” Mr Kinyua states the memo.

Opposed decision

The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNHCR) and the Anglican Church immediately opposed the decision. FKE chairman Patrick Obath argued that married couples were not the source of corruption.

“I don’t understand the rationale behind the decision. Conflict of interest and the resultant corruption is not caused by married couples. It is caused by people with external connections who can influence operations in an organisation,” he said.

LSK council member Evans Monari accused the government of losing direction in the fight against corruption, stating that banning married couples from working in the same organisation was a “feeble step”. “The circular is treating the causes of corruption with baby kicks,” he said.

KNHCR chairperson Florence Jaoko described the new move as “irregular”. “That proposal defeats any logic and is a complete violation of employment rights,” she said. Bungoma Anglican Bishop Eliud Wabukala said the memo was against the institution of the family and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

In the circular, Mr Kinyua indicates that the CBK has started implementing the policy and urges the heads of the six parastatals to make it clear to their staff that married couples or partners were not acceptable at work places.

He says the victims of this latest move should be given six months to decide among themselves who will opt out. “You are required to inform your officers who are married or partnered, and, work in your institutions, of this decision to disallow this practice. The affected staff will be given six months from the date of this letter, to reflect on the matter and make a choice as to who among them will remain in he authority,” he directs.

The memo is copied to deputy Prime Minister and Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta. The Treasury PS argued that the ministry was crafting policies to reduce the rate of corruption in State corporations, which has driven donor institutions and countries to shun Kenya.

He stated that they had identified organisations badly hit by the vice and were gradually placing them under a prescription of policies. “Treasury has decided to identify institutions that are most affected by this problem (corruption) and re-orient our action plan to specifically focus on these institutions,” he said.

Mr Kinyua said public debate on rising corruption has affected the image of the government and prompted foreign countries to reduce their investments in the country. “This has damaged the image of our country, resulting in a slowdown in direct investment flows as well as financial aid, particularly from our bilateral development partners,” he said.

The circular comes against a backdrop of multi-billion corruption scandals at Kenya Pipeline Company and the National Cereals and Produce Board involving the loss of millions of litres of oil worth Sh7.6 billion and thousands of bags of maize estimated to cost Sh810 million, respectively.

Going soft

The government was accused by the clergy, civil society and the public of going soft on the two scandals. On Sunday, Mr Obath said corruption in State corporations was caused by internal inefficiencies which must be addressed.

Bishop Wabukala, a member of the National Council of Churches of Kenya executive council, said no research into corruption had identified married couples working together as the cause. The main cause of corruption, and which he said must be tackled, was external business interests.