Sending convicted thieves to prison and exacting heavy fines make one front in the war against theft of public resources.
Seizing any assets procured using the stolen money makes a fair and effective means of deterring potential thieves from dipping their hands into the public funds cookie jar.
The High Court ruling that compelled the wife of a Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) official to surrender Sh19 million in her account to the State is a major step forward in the fight against corruption.
It may look like the woman is being found guilty by association, but the point is that the money trail indicated the amount came from her husband and the couple has been unable to explain the source of the funds – making the court to conclude that these were proceeds of crime.
Sending convicted thieves to prison and exacting heavy fines make one front in the war against theft of public resources.
Seizing any assets procured using the stolen money makes a fair and effective means of deterring potential thieves from dipping their hands into the public funds cookie jar.
The tendency to just put the corrupt in prison for a few years and then allow them to come out and enjoy their loot has proven to be an ineffective way of fighting theft.
By seizing assets acquired through crime, Kenya is making an unequivocal statement that theft and malfeasance do not pay. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) must now cast its net wider to sustain this war if the country is to move towards the goal of a clean government.
There are many people, some bigger fish than the KRA official’s wife, who have looted hundreds of millions and are walking free. These are the people the anti-graft agency must shine its spotlight on.
To win this war, the EACC must mount an aggressive and sustained multi-pronged strategy. The lifestyle audit that President Uhuru Kenyatta talked about a while ago, but which unfortunately fizzled out before it began, must be one of the cogs in the grand wheel against this scourge.
Indeed there are many public servants whose lifestyle is way beyond what the salaries and perks they get from government agencies such as the KRA can sustain. This means only one thing; they are highly likely to be stealing from the public.
As more people are increasingly jailed or fined as the graft battle gathers momentum, we would like to see more assets corruptly acquired returned to the rightful owners - the taxpayers. This is the only way this war can be termed a complete success.
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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
