A bill now before Kenya’s Parliament could lead to an intensified crackdown on corruption by government officials and other public servants, the Star reports.
The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2020 introduces radical changes: officials including governors can be forced to step aside while being investigated; if charged, they will step aside on half-pay until the conclusion of the case; and the only exempt officer will be the president.
The Leadership and Integrity Act is being tightened up so that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) must throughly scrutinise the self-declarations of wealth by candidates in elections.
The courts will be obliged to conclude corruption cases within two years.
One major stumbling block in fighting corruption is that elected or appointed officials cannot be removed until they have been convicted and exhausted the appeals process.
That will now change. Officials will have to step aside when charged or even if they are only under investigation.
