Act now to save Kenya!
Nairobi, Kenya – 5th November, 2015:
Recent revelations of mismanagement of public resources in various ministries, departments, agencies and county governments call for swift and decisive action against individuals involved.
We recognise that we have laws against corruption and institutions that have been set up to lead in the fight against corruption.
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| CSO leaders address the media on corruption on November 5, 2015 |
We are however disappointed that these institutions lack the energy and support required for them to discharge their mandates. The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, the Public Officer Ethics Act, The Public Procurement and Disposal Act and all other relevant laws must be enforced expeditiously and to the fullest.
Kenyans lose a lot of money through procurement malpractice. The Public Procurement and Disposal Act which governs public procurement is designed to maximize economy and efficiency by making the procurement process transparent and accountable.
Despite the provisions of this law, cases of overpriced goods and services, purchase of substandard goods and services as well as sheer waste are rampant in public offices today.
We call for firm and expeditious enforcement of the law including administrative and criminal sanctions against those who violate the law to steal from the public.
We note with concern the trend by public officials to pass the buck to junior officers when faced with allegations of corruption. We are enraged by the circus surrounding the corruption scandals under the Ministry of Devolution and Planning and demand that the Cabinet Secretary and all those implicated vacate their offices immediately to allow for swift investigations and sanctions.
We call upon Kenyans to stand up now and demand that corruption be dealt with immediately and swiftly by all arms and institutions of government.
Specifically we make the following demands:
1. We demand an immediate and systematic lifestyle audit of all public officials starting from the Cabinet.
2. We demand that the President should set in motion a process under his office to review all public procurement done over the last three years for compliance with the law and value for money principles.
3. We demand that the President updates Kenyans on the position of the cases in the list of shame.
4. We demand that the President dismisses all Cabinet Secretaries under investigation for corruption and that he reconstitutes the Cabinet.
5. We demand that Parliament initiate a systematic audit of the cost of goods and services in the entire public sector and for relevant institutions to sanction those who abuse procurement
processes to steal from Kenyans.
6. We demand that the Attorney General immediately proposes legislative amendments to provide for transparency of ownership of all companies registered or operating in Kenya.
If these demands are not met within one month, we undertake to rally Kenyans to express their displeasure about misuse of our resources.
We remain committed to supporting and rallying Kenyans to monitor the use of public resources and demand for action against corruption.
Signed by
Transparency International Kenya
Society for International Development
Constitution & Reform Education Consortium (CRECO)
Mzalendo Trust
Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG)
Inuka Kenya
Kenya Correspondents Association
Parliamentary Initiatives Network
Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
The Devolution Forum
