Mbadi proposes tough rules on donations in harambees

National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi addresses Institute of Certified Public Accountant of Kenya members at Whitesands hotel on May 22, 2019. He is proposing ways of tackling corruption among lawmakers. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Mbadi is seeking an amendment to Section 30 of the Public Officer Ethics Act to compel EACC to make accessible to the public the wealth declaration of a public officer.
  • Mr Mbadi wants the right to privacy in accessing the wealth declaration information of public officers limited for accountability purposes.

All public officers who contribute more than Sh100,000 in harambees or any kind of fundraising will be required to file a return with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), if lawmakers pass a raft of amendments proposed by National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi.

Mr Mbadi, in a letter to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, is seeking to amend Section 13 of the Public Officer Ethics Act to compel public officers to file a return with the anti-corruption body within 14 days stating the source of the contribution money.

The Suba South MP said the move is aimed at taming corruption among public officers. “I want public officers to live within their means. If your contribution to fundraisings is always in millions and it doesn’t resonate with your salary, then you must tell EACC where the money has come from,” Mr Mbadi said.

CONSENT

Mr Mbadi is further seeking an amendment to Section 30 of the same act to compel EACC to make accessible to the public the wealth declaration of a public officer.

Mr Mbadi wants the right to privacy in accessing the wealth declaration information of public officers limited for accountability purposes.

“For purposes of accountability and integrity of a public officer, the public must be given reasons why they cannot access the wealth information of any public officer,” reads part of the amendments.

Currently, Section 30(2) of the Public Office Ethics Act states that no information shall be published or in any way made public except with prior written authority of the responsible commission.

Those who contravene the above section and use other methods to obtain information on any public officer shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to imprisonment for five years, or to a fine not exceeding Sh500,000 or both.

MONITORING

He also wants Section 26 of the Public Officer Ethics Act amended so that all public officers are compelled to declare their wealth to EACC and to the public entity that has employed them.

At the moment, public officers only declare their wealth to the relevant commission their organisation falls under.

For instance, MPs only declare their wealth to the Parliamentary Service Commission after every two years.

“The move for officers to declare their wealth to two commissions will enable both EACC and Public Service Commission to monitor the growth of their wealth in relation to their income,” Mr Mbadi said.