Lifestyle audit for all public staff

Public officers in all 47 counties will undergo a lifestyle audit in an effort to deter misuse of government resources.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission will also map out areas and services that are prone to corruption in counties to gain knowledge of where and how corruption is perpetrated.

These are just some of the tactics the commission will use over the next five years in its campaign against corruption.

They are contained in their latest strategic plan 2013-2018 that was launched on Tuesday by President Kenyatta in Nairobi. Also present was Deputy President William Ruto and Attorney General Githu Muigai.

EACC chairman Mumo Matemu revealed that their efforts were already bearing fruit. The commission, he said, recently recovered Uhuru Gardens, a public recreation property worth Sh2 billion in Mombasa County, that was illegally acquired through corrupt means.

“The purported owners had already paid Sh55 million… this money will not be paid back,” Mr Matemu said.

“We have also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nairobi County government to recover their assets that had been corruptly acquired... fire stations have not been spared,” he said.

The commission, he said, had so far traced assets worth Sh5.5 billion as well as saved taxpayers Sh1 billion that was about to be swindled by those flouting procurement rules.

According to the plan, the commission will also develop and enforce leadership and integrity codes for State officers in all public agencies, provide the institutions with advice on how to prevent corruption and monitor adherence to the principals of governance related to transparency and accountability.

Mr Matemu asked the President to empower them adequately to enable them fight this war.

The commission needs at least Sh13 billion to implement the plan.

President Kenyatta said he was pleased that the commission had a corruption prevention advisory programme targeting all 47 counties.

“Let me be perfectly clear. It is the duty of each county to take this and other programmes being rolled out by the commission seriously. It is their duty to comply with it,” the President said.

“Kenyans pay their taxes…it is logical to think of those taxes as an investment in their government. We who have been entrusted to manage it must do so prudently for the benefit of the people,” he said.

Describing corruption as an evil “which must go”, President Kenyatta, asked public institutions that routinely top corruption surveys to swiftly devise measures to fight the vice.