He called on the CSs to focus on service delivery and put Kenyans first in discharging their mandate.
President William Ruto on Thursday, August 8 put his newly appointed Cabinet Secretaries on their toes during their swearing-in ceremony at State House, Nairobi, emphasising the importance of integrity, efficiency, and transparency in their service to the nation.
Almost a month after disbanding his Cabinet following nationwide protests against the Finance Bill 2024, Ruto reconstituted his Cabinet on a broad-based government approach, bringing together familiar and new faces as well as individuals who have been prominent in the opposition.
During his address, Ruto assured the new CSs of their full support in discharging their mandates and executing a reimagined and catalysed transformation agenda.
However, he urged them to work with him in doing the right thing, noting that by doing so, they would collectively ensure success, warning this time round that his support for the cabinet would end if it conflicted with his accountability to the public.
Collage of the newly-appointed Cabinet Secretaries being sworn in at State House, Nairobi on August 8, 2024. /PCS
“I have already given my undertaking to be the foremost steward of public resources and embraced my accountability for its proper use. Therefore, it is important to make it clear that my support for you ends if it conflicts with my accountability to the people of Kenya. Let us therefore work together in doing the right thing, and we shall be assured of success,” he stated.
He called on the CSs to focus on service delivery and put Kenyans first in discharging their mandate.
“I urge you, therefore, to go forth and from this day, focus on delivery, and dedicate your time and effort to the implementation of the various strategies, programmes, and projects that the nation’s transformation demands. I encourage you to make the people of Kenya your first and only priority and to never let your own interests come in the way of your duties,” he stated.
At the same time, President Ruto announced robust anti-corruption measures that include the mandatory vetting of all public servants. According to the Head of State, the move will ensure efficiency and do away with corruption in the public service, meaning that public servants will be required to declare their wealth under the same proposed framework.Â
“The first of these areas covers accountability and the fight against corruption. To enhance accountability and promote responsibility for the use of public resources, we shall introduce measures to levy a surcharge against any accounting officer or other public officer who has, by their actions or omissions, occasioned loss of public resources in accordance with Articles 226(5), 201(d); and 232(b) of the Constitution.
“To eliminate the ‘ghost worker’ payroll fraud at all levels of Government, we shall also implement a Unified Personal Identification system for all personnel working across all the arms of government, including constitutional commissions,” he announced.
Further, Ruto stated that the Cabinet shall introduce a legal and institutional framework for mandatory and continuous vetting of all public officers. The same framework will provide the repository of wealth declarations across the entirety of government under one office.
“In addition, we shall facilitate expeditious investigation and prosecution of all offences related to corruption and economic crimes through amendment of the relevant statutes, including the Evidence Act and the Criminal Procedure Code, and provide for their determination within 6 months.
“We believe that our war on corruption will be significantly boosted by measures to make it easier and safer for citizens and whistle-blowers to come forward and report corruption and economic crimes. For this reason, the reconstituted cabinet shall consider relevant amendments to the Witness Protection Act to enhance appropriate incentives,” he went on.
Similarly, Ruto announced that his administration would exploit the power of information and communication technology to radically diminish opportunities for corruption, conflict of interest, and abuse of office by digitizing procurement and making it open and transparent.
Likewise, the Kenya Kwanza regime shall initiate a framework to make the Value Added Tax (VAT) refund process open, transparent, and accountable, “because the immense savings out of this expenditure of public funds will finance investment in productive and transformative economic projects.”
President William Ruto during a Cabinet meeting which was attended by his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua and cabinet secretaries at State House, Nairobi on June 11, 2024. /PCS