NAIROBI: The inaugural socio-economic audit has proposed new measures to prevent individuals with integrity issues from contesting for elective posts.
The aim is to end the culture where rogue politicians loot public coffers while in office to recoup the money they spent on campaigns as they amass a new war-chest for the next polls.
A preliminary report of a Government task force wants the law amended to allow the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to do a lifestyle audit on all candidates gunning for political office, shore up the independence of the commission and ensure the public is involved in the vetting process.
However, the proposed laws may never see the light of day because the report banks on the same MPs, who have consistently watered down any law that threatens their survival, to bring about the change.
The audit comes at a time when nearly a third of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Cabinet is suspended due to corruption allegations.
In their report to the Budget and Appropriations Committee, the auditors insisted that while the EACC is the custodian of ethics and morals in the country, more so with regard to public officers, it is powerless, and it does not have links with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
"The commission is not a repository of criminal records and therefore cannot effectively carry out the vetting of individuals seeking appointment to public offices without reference to other bodies such as the Criminal Investigations Department. This dependence has exposed the commission to possible interference from the Legislature and the Executive," reads the interim report of the Government task force chaired by Auditor General Edward Ouko.
The Leadership and Integrity Act will also have to be amended to give more stringent penalties for public servants who fail to comply with "the ethical and moral standards prescribed in law" and to also "provide for clear procedures and mechanisms through which EACC can enforce compliance".
There's also a call to amend the law to compel the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to publish the names of election candidates for public scrutiny, and raise alarm whenever individuals with integrity issues seek elective posts.
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