President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered the Attorney General Paul Kihara to draft a bill that could lock all civil servants out of private business, to tackle the crisis of conflict of interest blamed for fueling corruption.
President Kenyatta gave the order that would in effect reverse the recommendation of the Duncan Ndegwa Commission which, in 1971, made it possible for civil servants to run private businesses on the side.
Some claim this is when corruption in government really began to take root.
The President was speaking at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on day two of the anti-corruption conference.
In his hard-hitting address, the president gave an example of the conflict of interest for a senior traffic police officer who would be pretending to enforce law and order by arresting traffic offenders, while at the same running a ‘matatu’ or public service transport business.
“State or public officers will have one choice: Serve in the public arena or go and do private business!” said President Kenyatta.
The president affirmed the government’s commitment in the war against corruption saying that no one will be spared in the ongoing purge.
He pledged a zero tolerance approach to corruption saying that anyone who has stolen public funds must be prosecuted.
“No person is beyond the reach of arm of the law no matter how powerful and influential they perceive themselves to be,”