State departments directed to form graft prevention committees

The government has directed all state departments to form Corruption Prevention Committees.

The government said the move is aimed at helping the government double its efforts in the fight against corruption.

A dispatch released Friday after a National Development Implementation Committee (NDIC) meeting chaired by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said the committees will be chaired by PSs in person.

The NDIC said it reached the resolve following the damning National Ethics and Corruption survey report, 2023, by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission(EACC).

"All State Departments were directed to establish Corruption Prevention Committees, which will be chaired by the Principal Secretaries in person. Through this, the government aims to redouble its efforts to fight corruption," the dispatch read.

"Principal Secretaries were reminded of their responsibilities to the citizens and urged to ensure that no corruption was tolerated within their respective domains." 

The meeting was chaired by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi with Head of Public Service Felix Kosgei also in attendance in his capacity as NDIC vice chairman and Convener.

All Principal Secretaries are part of the NDIC.

On Wednesday, EACC released a new report dubbed the National Ethics and Corruption Survey, 2023.

It cited prominence of corruption in various spheres of service provision indicating that on average, Kenyans paid Sh11,625 in bribes in 2023 for services sought.

EACC said the amount was almost double the average bribe Kenyans gave in 2022.

"The overall national average bribe was Sh11,625 in 2023 indicating an increase compared to Sh6,865 in 2022," the report said.

Data for the survey was collected from October 13 to November 4, 2023 using both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Data collection was preceded by a questionnaire design and two days of training of participants held between October 11-12, 2023.

A total of 5,100 respondents drawn from 510 clusters distributed across all 47 counties took part.

Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) were conducted with household heads with a literature review providing critical insights into topical issues on anti-corruption.

NDIC is mandated to oversee the implementation of all National Government programmes, policies and projects and has membership of all Principal Secretaries.

Thursday's meeting was the first 2024 meeting and the second since last year.

During the meeting, NDIC revealed that the government has signed several bilateral Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Agreements with other countries and foreign entities.

The meeting, however, noted that there has been limited follow-up on implementation.

"All Principal Secretaries were required, with immediate effect, to implement a programme of reviewing any such existing Agreements to facilitate effective follow-up," the dispatch read.

The Committee further agreed that a structured framework for depositing, monitoring implementation and reporting on the status of bilateral MoUs and Agreements will be established.

The NDIC noted the need to ensure that the initiatives are documented in the Government Legislative Agenda Schedule.

The move will help in keeping ministry-level inventory of initiatives for ease of reporting and tracking.

The Committee further took notice of the doctors’ strike saying it has greatly affected Kenyans with majority of public health facilities not operating at optimal levels.

The government said it's committed to resolving the stalemate.

"With the guidance of the High Court ruling, NDIC noted that the government is committed to resolving the issues raised in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), 2017, and to ensure that a solution was found to the current impasse," the dispatch read.

Doctors have been on strike since March 14 demanding full implementation of the seven-year CBA.

They want medical interns deployed and provision of comprehensive cover among other things.

Meanwhile, National Government Coordination Secretariat (NGCS) was directed to finalise the draft guidelines for a framework of coordination, oversight and supervision management as well as a list of priority programmes, projects and policies.

The Committee noted that State Agencies are required to rationalise their budgets by 30 per cent.

"All commercial state corporations are to commit 80 per cent of profit after tax for payment of dividends, leaving 20 per cent retained earnings. All regulatory authorities should remit 90 per cent of surplus funds of the last audited accounts as provided for in law," the dispatch read.

The Committee further said that all monies generated or received over the recurrent revenue budget should not be utilized without the approval of the National Treasury.

The NDIC resolved to work closely with the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) in coordinating National Government programmes, projects and policies.