British and Swiss govts pledge to help Kenya in fight against corruption
Integrity Centre, the headquarters of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- British High Commissioner to Kenya Christian Turner and his Swiss counterpart Jacques Pitteloud Wednesday met with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
- The envoys pledged their continued support for the President, government of Kenya and EACC in the efforts to fight corruption.
- They committed to sustain vital assistance that would ensure that the perpetrators of corruption are held to account and brought to justice.
- President Kenyatta told the envoys that the war on corruption will not be derailed.
British and Swiss governments have offered to support Kenya in the fight against corruption.
British High Commissioner to Kenya Christian Turner and his Swiss counterpart Jacques Pitteloud Wednesday met with President Uhuru Kenyatta and anti-corruption commission officials at State House after which they assured of their continued assistance.
A statement from State House indicated that the two envoys had been pleased with latest efforts to tame the “long-standing problem of corruption and acknowledged the recent steps by the Kenyan government.”
The envoys were notably pleased with “the charges and arrests in the Anglo Leasing scandal and the moves to address the institutional capacity constraints of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC),” the statement added.
The statement added that the envoys had pledged their continued support for the President, government of Kenya and EACC in the efforts to fight corruption.
OFFER VITAL ASSISTANCE
They committed to sustain vital assistance that would ensure that the perpetrators of corruption are held to account and brought to justice.
This is not the first time the two countries have expressed support for the war on corruption.
In 2014, the Swiss accepted to support Kenya’s quest to recover billions of shillings lost through the Anglo Leasing scandal, whose perpetrators are thought to have stuffed the money in Swiss banks.
The British, on the other hand, have been involved in governance programmes such as improving the capacity of the Judiciary to handle corruption and other economic crimes.
A number of top government officials including Cabinet secretaries have recently stepped aside to allow for investigations into their conduct in relation to tenders and other procurement irregularities.
EACC is supposed to hand over reports of those investigations to the Director of Public Prosecutions for possible prosecution.
State House indicated Wednesday that “all parties agreed on the continued importance of tackling corruption in order to attract investment, tackle insecurity, and to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are shared amongst all Kenyans.”
President Kenyatta told the envoys that the war on corruption will not be derailed.
