By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-01-24 21:00:00
Wealth declaration by public servants has become a regular ritual that has failed to achieve its main goal of increasing transparency. When done properly, it can be an effective tool in the fight against widespread corruption in government ministries, departments, agencies, and public organizations.
This failure undermines an effort that could lead to the desired outcomes. Many Kenyan public servants have amassed significant wealth through questionable means, and this can be easily identified by enforcing wealth declarations.
To address this issue, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has stepped in to ensure that wealth declarations are completed. Public officers who do not make their initial wealth declaration will not be included in the payroll system and will also not be eligible for promotion.
The disclosure allows authorities to understand the assets of each new civil servant. If they subsequently acquire suspicious assets or funds, they can then be held accountable to determine if they were obtained through legitimate means.
According to the PSC, 10,352 out of 13,354 new staff hired by State entities in the year leading up to June 2023 failed to declare their initial income, assets, and liabilities, as required by law. Only 3,002 or 22.5 percent of the new officers complied. The accounting officers of the relevant organizations have until March to ensure compliance.
This is in accordance with the Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012. The most significant violators are found in ministries, departments, public universities, TVETs, constitutional commissions and independent offices, statutory commissions, and authorities.
By law, public officers are required to declare their income, assets, and liabilities, as well as those of their spouses and children under 18, within 30 days of joining, every two years, and within 30 days of leaving the service.
The purpose of the declaration is to promote ethics and integrity and improve good governance, transparency, and accountability. To combat the illicit enrichment and unexplained wealth of some public officers, ongoing investigations should be expedited and the declaration requirement strictly enforced.
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