Civil servants declared wealth should be made easily accessible to the public to strengthen the war against theft of taxpayers’ cash.
Restrictions on public access to wealth declaration forms — which have been in place since 2003 — have done little to discourage public servants from engaging in graft or promote accountability and transparency.
The fight against graft was watered down after a clause in a Bill that sought to remove restrictions on Kenyans seeking information on income, assets and liabilities of persons holding public office was dropped.
A number of top public servants are fighting asset freezes and seizures after investigations revealed secret bank accounts, cars, and apartments that could not match their pay.
This is a pointer that some civil servants fail to make full disclosures in the wealth forms.
The public can tip the ethics agency on the public servants who may be hiding their wealth. They can play this role well if empowered to know what has been declared.
This is the second attempt the bid to remove the restrictive clause that denies the public access has been defeated.
We urge lawmakers who will join Parliament after the August 9 poll to review the scrutiny restriction in the quest for accountability and transparency in the administration of State coffers.
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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
