Professional bodies to help EACC clear backlog of 57,000 cases

Professional bodies should help Kenyans hold the national and county governments accountable.

Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPSK) Chair Nicholas Letting said it is the duty of professional bodies to enhance equity, service delivery and citizen participation.

"For this to happen, professional bodies must exhibit integrity and professionalism," said Letting.

He was speaking on Friday during an ICPSK forum to discuss governance in the management of public funds.

The forum was attended by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) boss Halakhe Waqo who asked professional bodies to be in the forefront of preventing corruption.

"It is the professionals that flout rules and the laid out policies that contribute to corruption cases. This is mostly seen with accountants and auditors who know well the risks of such involvements," said Waqo.

Waqo said it is irrelevant for professional bodies to cry out for more laws to fight corruption when the existing ones are not fully functioning.

At an earlier forum, EACC Chair Philip Kinisu had noted the importance of professional bodies in the fight against the vice.

Kinisu told a meeting convened by the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) that EACC will be exploring mediation and negotiations to clear a backlog of 57,000 graft cases.

"We have less than 200 investigators and for the last ten years, we have only managed  6,000 of the 13,000 cases that fall on our jurisdiction," said Kinisu.