PM hands over gifts from foreign tour

By Peter Orengo

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has surrendered gifts he received on an official trip to Turkey as required by the Public Officers Act in the Constitution.

He handed over the gifts he said were given to him by Turkish businessmen last week.

Raila led a Kenya delegation to Istanbul, Turkey for the second conference on Somalia.

The businessmen gave him a golden hand painted decorative Turkish glass bowl, a golden decorative glass brass ewer and a plate.

Article 76(1) of the Constitution provides that “a gift or donation to a state officer on a public or official occasion is a gift to the state” hence the requirement that such items be surrendered unless exempted under an Act of Parliament.

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Officers can only accept gifts that are non-monetary and whose value does not exceed that prescribed by the regulation.

“Sometimes when we go out as public officers we forget about this law after getting very valuable gifts,” said Raila.

He said the law was enacted to discourage corruption and that should also happen within the country.

Good example

“State officers who receive gifts in the form of animals and go ahead and keep them for themselves should stop,” said Raila.

The two gifts whose value was not revealed were handed to National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende, who is the chairman of the powers and privileges committee.

The Speaker in turn handed over the gifts to the Director General of the Kenya National Museum, Dr Idle Farah, where they will be displayed for Kenyans and visitors to see.

Marende thanked the Prime Minister for the gesture and warned other public officials that it was their duty to obey the law as per the State officers Act.

“From now let all public officers follow the Prime Minister’s example by accounting for all valuable gifts they get while on duty abroad,” said Marende. Kenya is enforcing the new Constitution and many politicians are finding it difficult to adjust to the laws which require high level of integrity for public officers.