Ethos of integrity should be central in our public service

Transparency International Kenya Executive Director Samuel Kimeu

The dust on the appointment of Dr Ben Chumo has finally settled, with the adoption by the National Assembly of the report of the Finance Committee recommending his rejection for the appointment to the chair of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). This decision by the National Assembly was unlikely but laudable. It is a step in the right direction in so far as the enforcement of Chapter Six of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity is concerned.

At the core of Chumo’s failed appointment was the integrity standard expected of public officers. Chapter Six seeks to ensure that those entrusted with the management of public affairs and resources are persons of good character, probity and uprightness. Unfortunately, as soon as the Constitution was promulgated, there was a campaign to systematically undermine it through failed enforcement and lack of compliance.