NAIROBI, Feb. 6 (HANA)--Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has given a major boost to local artisans with a directive that government institutions and parastatals stop with immediate effect the purchase of overpriced foreign furniture.

Instead the President wants the public sector to purchase locally made quality furniture in order to boost incomes of the Kenyan furniture makers.

In this connection, the President called on the accounting officers to obtain furniture from the local manufacturers and help to generate jobs for the Kenyan youth instead of procuring expensively imported furniture at the expense of the country’s young people capable of making quality goods.

Speaking today at the Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA), Lower Kabete in Nairobi where he officially opened a workshop for Permanent Secretaries/Accounting Officers and Chief Executive Officers of state corporations on strategies to fight corruption in the public service, President Kibaki noted that government officials must at all times uphold practices that do not undermine the country’s development agenda.

“If you fail to do that, you will be undermining our country’s development agenda. Part of this agenda is employment creation for our youth,” President Kibaki said.

The Head of State noted that although the government had instituted tremendous anti-graft efforts, incidences of corruption still prevailed in the country’s public sector.

He directed permanent secretaries, accounting officers and chief executive officers of state corporations to lead the fight against the vice through personal integrity, courage and professionalism.

“What is required of you is a clear resolve and commitment to individually and collectively create a public service built on high moral values and integrity,” President Kibaki said.

The President asked the permanent secretaries/accounting officers and chief executive officers of state corporations to transform closed-up government offices into open work-stations to ensure more transparency.

He said accounting officers should take appropriate action against officers in their organizations who are found to be involved in corrupt and unethical practices.

Said the President: “As accounting officers, it is your duty to mainstream anti-corruption initiatives and good governance practices in your organizations.”

The Head of State stressed that the Government will not allow situations where irresponsible officers are transferred from Ministry to Ministry to spread their vice of corruption.

In this regard, President Kibaki asked accounting officers to act urgently to stem corruption, saying their quick action will ensure that public funds are not misappropriated.

“I expect you to have zero-tolerance to corruption because that is Government policy.  Administrative procedures should be simplified and streamlined to eliminate opportunities and loopholes for corruption,” President Kibaki said.

He added that transparency and accountability in the Public Service is a critical pillar for Government to attain credibility in the eyes of tax-paying Kenyans.

President Kibaki also ordered the accounting officers to ensure that finances entrusted to them are used strictly for the intended purposes within the budget and defined time-frame.

Noting that the country is grappling with major development challenges while resources are limited, President Kibaki said accounting officers should ensure there is neither wastage nor abuse of resources. 

The Head of State, once again, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to eliminating corruption, saying in the last 7 years the Government has passed major legislation aimed at dealing with corruption in the Public Service.

He cited the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act 2003 and the Public Officers Ethics Act 2003 which established the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission with the mandate to combat corruption and economic crimes through law enforcement, prevention, public education and recovery of corruptly acquired wealth as some of the legislations passed by the Government. 

The President pointed out that Cabinet had also approved the Witness Protection Bill that seeks to establish an autonomous agency that will, among other issues, safeguard potential witnesses in corruption cases and other crimes.

At the same time, President Kibaki said, the Government has taken measures to improve governance of public finances by enacting the Public Audit Act 2003, the Government Financial Management Act 2004 and the Public Procurement and Disposal Act 2005.

The President, however, said he expected to see more action by fast-tracking the use of I.C.T. as a weapon in the fight against corruption and innovative intelligence collection strategies on unethical practices in the public service.

The Head of State said accounting officers should also recognize, reward and protect whistle-blowers and officers with integrity, institute integrity testing systems in ministries and departments and prompt legal and disciplinary measures against officers involved in corruption.

He also called upon respective accounting officers to revamp mechanisms that ensure efficient service delivery systems and processes, including records management systems and service charters.

“I expect you to immediately institute reforms that will seal corruption loopholes and address delays in service delivery,” the President said. 

In addition, President Kibaki said Government programs should be monitored continuously to ensure that incidences of corruption are dealt with early and remedial action taken immediately.

The President stressed that accounting officers and chief executive officers have a responsibility to enforce systems which are intended to ensure transparency and accountability.

The President expressed optimism that by the end of the workshop, a plan of action with a time-frame and measurable strategies that have specific inputs, outputs and outcomes in the war against corruption would be formulated.

The theme of the workshop was ‘Leadership and Integrity in the Public Service’ and underscored the urgent need for a national integrity system to provide focused leadership in public service. It also underscored the need to eliminate corruption that increases the cost of investment and production to the detriment of the economy and living standards of Kenyans.

In his address, Prime Minister Raila Odinga noted that the Efficiency Monitoring Unit (EMU) shall be strengthened to conduct neutral investigations in all Government ministries and departments accused of malpractices to avoid situations where interested parties lead investigations against their own accomplices.

Noting that corruption diverts huge amounts of resources meant to benefit Kenyans, the Prime Minister asserted that public servants accused of corruption shall be expected to voluntarily step down in tandem with practices in modern societies and in an effort to restore public confidence in government institutions.

The Prime Minister likened corruption to cancer and declared that the workshop was not only timely but also marked a critical stage of the Grand Coalition Government in the renewal and formulation of a broad based approach to the war against the vice.

by Reporter....