DCI to conduct lifestyle audit on staff in the Land ministry
Land Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi, who has said his ministry has engaged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to audit the lifestyles of the ministry's staff. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Prof Kaimenyi said the move follows numerous complaints from Kenyans seeking services at the ministry's offices across Kenya.
- The CS said this saw many brokers open offices in the precincts of the Land offices to facilitate payment of bribes.
- Prof Kaimenyi has also insisted that any officer who has been in one station for more than three years must be transferred.
- Mr Muhoro said that a similar audit had been conducted at the Immigration Department which saw services improve.
The long-awaited lifestyle audit of staff at the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development is now on the way after Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi inked a deal with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The agreement between Prof Kaimenyi and DCI boss Ndegwa Muhoro will see the Anti-Fraud Unit investigate the source of wealth of the ministry’s staff, some of whom own properties worth billions of shillings despite earning modest salaries.
Prof Kaimenyi said the move follows numerous complaints from Kenyans seeking services at the ministry's offices across Kenya who are forced to part with thousands of shillings to get served.
The minister said this saw many brokers open offices in the precincts of the Land offices to facilitate payment of bribes.
Prof Kaimenyi, who met Mr Muhoro in his offices, assured the detectives of total support in finding a lasting solution to the corruption menace that he said undermined services.
Mr Muhoro said that a similar audit had been conducted at the Immigration Department that he said led to improved services, with all applications now being filed online first and necessary payment details provided before a formal visit to the department.
All payments are made directly to a select bank account.
REMOVE MIDDLEMEN
“We shall go flat out in eradicating graft in the Land ministry and [we] shall eradicate middlemen who make services costly for Kenyans at the ministry,” said Mr Muhoro.
Among items to be thoroughly scrutinised are mobile money transfer and bank account records for individual staff members as well as their individual private businesses to ensure no one operates a parallel private ‘land’ office within the towns they work in.
The move follows another exercise being conducted by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to audit internal systems that will lead to the creation of a concrete service charter that all staff must adhere to.
The Land ministry has closed down 13 registries in the country as records are digitised to allow more timely, transparent and accountable services.
In an earlier interview, Prof Kaimenyi told the Nation that corruption was a major problem at the land registries, with crucial documents being altered, files misplaced and erroneous confirmations dished out, which led to Kenyans losing money when they bought non-existent parcels of land.
The minister said anyone found to own property worth millions of shillings whose source they cannot explain would be relieved of their duties pending further investigations.
“We have a ministry called to serve Kenyans to facilitate development, but anyone found to have disposed [of] public land to enrich themselves will have no one else to blame but themselves,” he said during a briefing session for land registrars in Nairobi.
Prof Kaimenyi has also insisted that any officer who has served at one station for more than three years must be transferred to a new station to help root out cartels in land and survey offices.
