Uhuru Kenyatta to set up personal website for graft reports
Delegates visit exhibition stands during the opening of the women, youth and people with disability expo in Nairobi on October 16, 2013. Photo/Ann Kamoni
What you need to know:
Speaking during the launch of a women and youth procurement expo in Nairobi Wednesday, the president said he is committed to fight graft.
He asked civil servants who thought their pay was enough to “get into business and leave public office to other people.”
About 13 categories of government tenders have been exclusively reserved for special interest groups since they are deemed easily achievable.
President Uhuru Kenyatta will set up a personal website for submission of graft reports as the State prepares to hand over Sh200 billion worth of contracts to women and youth.
Speaking during the launch of a women and youth procurement expo in Nairobi Wednesday, the president said he is committed to fight graft.
“I will open a website and web page which aggrieved parties will report cases where they have been asked to give bribes before accessing services,” he said.
“All you would have to do is give name of department and official asking the bribe plus the amount. No need to indicate your name. Then leave us to do the rest from there.”
He asked civil servants who thought their pay was enough to “get into business and leave public office to other people.” The expo comes at a time that the government is seeking to increase the number of special interest groups in public businesses.
Youth, women and the disabled have raised concerns over management of the ambitious multibillion shillings projects tailored for them, with corruption topping their list of fears.
Mr Kenyatta’s announcement comes barely three months after the release of a report by Transparency International ranking Kenya as the fourth most graft-prone nation in the world.
Special interest groups are set to benefit from Sh200 billion or 30 per cent of public contracts and tenders in the 2013/14 financial year.
The Treasury in June gazetted an amended version of the public procurement and disposal regulations 2013 paving the way for implementation of the 30 per cent procurement quota. President Kenyatta said he will monitor closely issuance of tenders among State firms.
“I will monitor to know in real numbers how many people have taken advantage and benefited from the initiative,” he said.
The procurement law opens a special window for special groups who often lack financial muscle to compete with established businesses in bidding for State tenders.
The Sh6 billion fund provides women and youth with a key to accessing business capital of between Sh50,000 and Sh500,000.
About 13 categories of government tenders have been exclusively reserved for special interest groups since they are deemed easily achievable.
These include supply of flowers, delivery of newspapers, provision of motor vehicle repair and photocopy and videography. Others are provision of garbage collection services, event organising and design and branding of promotional materials such as banners and posters.
However, Cecile Mbarire, the chairperson of Kenya Women Parliamentary Association said: “Do not relegate us to delivery of flowers and clearing bushes. We can do roads.”
