Some 400 heads of procurement and accounting have so far been cleared to return to work in the ongoing vetting of public officers, government spokesman Erick Kiraithe has said.
The vetting was ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta on June 1 as part of the government’s revitalised war on corruption.
It was the first major blow at the heart of corruption that signalled the President’s intention to walk the talk on cracking the whip on graft which has cost the country billions.
"Due to employer/employee confidentiality terms, communication to the officers as to the conditions of return is to be effected by their respective authorized officers," Kiraithe said in a statement on Monday.
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The vetting also involved officers undergoing a polygraph test after it emerged that billions of public funds were swindled from public entities at the procurement level through payment of fictitious tenders.
Uhuru's directive came at the height of the new scandal at the National Youth Service where an estimated Sh9 billion was allegedly lost through payment for goods and services that were never delivered.
One suspect was, for incidence, paid Sh60 million for a tender she never applied for, for goods she never delivered and she wasn't even aware of what tendering means.
Kiraithe said the 400 officers were among those vetted in the first cohort, which is in its final stages.
He said the officers in the next cohort have been identified and will be informed of the process in due course.
While giving the directive for the fresh vetting during his Madaraka Day speech, Uhuru said the vetting was to be completed by June 30.
Kiraithe, however, said the exercise went beyond the deadline due to extreme factors.
"Due to extenuating circumstances, the timelines for the vetting process extended beyond the anticipated period," Kiraithe said.
"Those who will not be cleared to return to office will be processed in line with existing law, human resource guidelines and within the tenets of the Fair Administrative Act," he said.
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