The only way to protect public resources is to jail people found guilty of grabbing or stealing them. We must also ensure we have effective asset-recovery mechanisms.
We must have policies to cut down on waste of public resources. We should establish effective ways to stop wastage.
Remember, we lose more than 30 per cent of total expenditure on misuse of public resources.
There should be an asset-recovery policy to reward those who have contributed and also to punish the corrupt. Funds stolen through direct theft and corruption can fund major projects.The billions stolen can be recovered and put to good use.
The government should harmonise laws and stop duplication of the roles by government agencies at national and county levels. For example we have boards in charge of water at national and county levels doing the same job. Most sectors are affected.
Another opportunity for criminals to steal government property and asset is through the disposal process. Officials in government buy costly items to sell at throwaway prices. Cars are a good example. This information is detailed in the auditor's report stating cars were sold for as little as Sh3.6 million.
All the things I am naming here are small costs but when harmonised, the government will be able to save billions of shillings.
The fight against corruption should start when projects are designed. All the specifics must be available for public scrutiny. They should include the time the projects are awarded and the reasons. The government must also scrutinise the project when it is completed to establish if Kenyans have gotten the value for their money.
We should also enhance the audit process. Instead of auditing after months or years, the process must be continuous and frequent. The auditor must be able to collect viable information all the time to keep track of the ongoing projects. Kenyans will also have real-time information on the projects being executed.
The writer spoke to The Star. He is the Country Manager International Budget Partnership.