Kisii Governor James Ongwae has urged the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to invest more on corruption prevention initiatives.
Ongwae says enforcement of laws and regulations alone cannot root out the vice and instead called on the commission to spend more resources on prevention.
Speaking at his office when the commission officials led by Vice Chair Sofia Lepuchirit paid him a courtesy call, Governor Ongwae called for the development of a national code of conduct in line with proposals contained in a report by the late Hon. Lawrence Sagini.
“In corruption, it takes two to tango because public officers are compromised by members of the public. Citizens must be educated to demand accountability from public officers and government institutions and this is why we must invest more on corruption prevention initiatives,” he noted.
Ms. Lepuchirit said following the enactment of the Bribery Act, 2016 had addressed the gap in law where previously focus was on public officers. Bribery offenders will also be punished.
In the new law, an individual found guilty of bribery – contributor or recipient – shall be liable on conviction to a term not exceeding 10 years or a fine not exceeding Sh5 million or both.
“Already, we have 25 cases of bribery offenders who attempted to bribe officers of the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA). Bribe givers will no longer walk scot free,” she said.
She said the commission was handling over 200 cases of irregularly acquired public utility goods in Kisii County and already, two parcels of land recovered through the court will be handed back.
Commissioner Dr Maalim Dabal lauded the interventions put in place by the County Government to prevent corruption citing the development of a Code of Conduct for Public Officers in Kisii County as a key milestone.
“Very few counties have been able to develop codes of conduct for public officers. I am glad Kisii County collaborated with EACC to develop this code which is critical in promoting ethics and integrity in the public service,” said Commissioner Dabal.
He said EACC had filed over 400 cases in court and asked the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to expedite his work saying the commission had laid emphasis on recovery of assets irregularly acquired across the country.
