National Taxpayers Association chief
executive officer Patrick Nyangweso, EACC chairperson David Oginde and ICPAK
chairperson Elizabeth Kalunda during a press conference at the sidelines of the
Townhall session that was held on September 4, 2025. /JACKTONE LAWI
Watchdog agencies in the country are calling for sweeping reforms in public financial management, including the establishment of special courts to fast-track corruption cases, in a bid to restore investor confidence and stem the country’s mounting governance crises.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) and the National Taxpayers Association (NTA) accused the state of paying lip service to the fight against graft while billions of shillings continue to leak from public coffers.
EACC chairperson David Oginde said Kenyans are losing faith in the justice system, pointing to endless delays in prosecuting powerful individuals.
“Ordinary citizens are frustrated. They hear of arrests and investigations, yet five years down the line, nothing happens. This is why corruption flourishes. Unless we have special courts across the country, justice will remain a mirage,” said Oginde, warning that resource excuses can no longer mask lack of political will.
Speaking during a town hall session in Nairobi, Oginde said the newly enacted Conflict of Interest Act will serve as a powerful tool in curbing graft, particularly in counties where politically connected families have formed shell companies to secure lucrative tenders.
“The Act closes loopholes that for years enabled public officials and their relatives to do business with the very institutions they lead. This is where a huge portion of public money has been lost,” Oginde said.
The law also mandates the EACC to conduct wealth audits every two years, with unexplained assets forfeited to the state.
“If you came into office worth Sh300 million and three years later you are worth Sh3 billion, the burden is on you to explain the source. Anything you cannot explain reverts to the state,” Oginde warned.
While the judiciary has piloted two anti-corruption courts in Nairobi, expansion across the country has stalled, with officials citing budget constraints.
The three institutions called for immediate allocation of funds to recruit judges, magistrates, and investigators, warning that without special courts, high-profile corruption suspects will continue to walk free as ordinary taxpayers shoulder the cost.
ICPAK chairperson Elizabeth Kalunda said that the transition from cash-based to accrual accounting is also expected to eliminate the misuse of “pending bills”—a uniquely Kenyan creation that has trapped billions in unpaid obligations.
According to Kalunda ,the shift will improve budget credibility and ensure suppliers, many of them SMEs, are paid on time.
“Accrual accounting will bring discipline and stop the abuse of pending bills, which has crippled businesses and distorted county budgets,” she noted.
National Taxpayers Association chief executive officer Patrick Nyangweso said entrenched political interests are behind resistance to reforms such as e-procurement, which would cut inflated tenders and ghost suppliers.
Nyangweso noted that the rollout of the e-Government Procurement (EGP) platform will standardise prices and block proxy firms from exploiting inflated contracts.
“Leaders opposing e-procurement are simply protecting corruption cartels. If we don’t have political goodwill, even the best systems will collapse. Kenyans are tired of being robbed in broad daylight while the judiciary drags its feet,” he said.
“For once, we will not see one ministry buying a chair for Sh20,000 while another pays Sh200,000 for the same. The system will create transparency and level the playing field,” said Nyangweso.
The three institutions jointly pushed for the creation of specialised corruption courts to resolve graft cases within strict timelines.
