• MP John Mbadi has proposed a Bill limiting donations to Sh100,000
• EACC chief tells Kenyans to question source of huge cash given at harambees
Image: COLLINS KWEYU
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has termed hefty public donations by politicians as questionable.
The debate dominated an anti-corruption forum in Nairobi on Thursday where participants asked the government to invest more on the asset recovery to trace and bring back billions stolen from public coffers.
Anti-graft chief executive officer Twalib Mbarak fired the first salvo saying the huge cash donations made in churches and other harambees must be interrogated.
He said as part of citizen participation in the anti-graft war, Kenyans must start questioning the origin of such money usually delivered in crisp notes.
"If you are an ordinary income worker, you take a loan and pay for 10 or 15 years. Who is this guy who walks to a church, for instance, and contributes four times of that? Logically, does it make sense?" Mbarak asked.
He spoke during the commemoration of the third Africa Anti-Corruption Day.
Mbarak's sentiments come at a time when the country has been engulfed by fierce criticism of Deputy President William Ruto's massive public donations in cash.
The DP's critics have questioned Ruto's source of such colossal contributions in churches, schools and for self-help groups across the country.
National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi has proposed a bill to limit donations by public servants to not more than Sh100,000 to tame corruption.
The bill also seeks to compel public servants to disclose the source of such funds to the EACC within two weeks after contribution.
The EACC boss said the fight against corruption requires collective effort from all Kenyans.
EACC chairman Eliud Wabukhala lauded the government for supporting the war on corruption and urged Kenyans to embrace morals.
He said public officers must desist from corrupt activities as they hold their offices in trust on behalf of Kenyans.
"You don't hold a public office for entitlement. Public officers must embrace ethos which will determine the future of the country and Africa," he said.
Transparency International Kenya executive director Samuel Kimeu asked the government to follow the legal framework in dealing firmly with graft.
He said the law on public harambees must be enforced properly to tame corruption among government officials.
Edited by R.Wamochie