President William Ruto vowed Thursday that his Kenya Kwanza administration will win the war against runaway corruption in the country.
Ruto who was leading Kenyans in the commemoration of the 59th Mashujaa Day celebrations noted that he has a solid plan to end the vice, especially in the public service that has previously been gravely indicted.
He promised that dishonest and fraudulent conduct exhibited by those in positions of leadership will soon be a thing of the past.
“The fight against corruption must be won. Our government intends to wage this fight and demonstrate its commitment to zero tolerance to corruption by making all public servants accountable, and submitting to the oversight of Parliament and other constitutionally mandated institutions,”
“We are committed to the rule of law, fidelity to constitutional due process, and implementation of judicial decrees and orders,” he said
The head of state once again committed to ensuring that institutions charged with the mandate of eliminating dishonest dealings in government are well-facilitated and have the space to operate independently.
Under his watch, he said there shall be “no interference with, or any attempts to control, direct or undermine independent institutions,” including those in the justice, law, and order sector.
He specifically noted that the National Police Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Judiciary, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission shall perform their duties independently and professionally.
“This is our vision for ensuring that the war on corruption is not itself corrupted by inappropriate interventions,” he said
He cited this as the reason behind his first executive order on his first day in office, to actualise the financial autonomy of the National Police Service which he says will give it the ability to rapidly achieve national security strategic objectives.
“These actions extend to the facilitation of the Director of Criminal Investigations to expeditiously resolve investigations to a standard that can support effective prosecution and secure conviction,” he said
“The independence of the National Police Service is essential for its institutional credibility and efficiency, citizen safety and welfare, and effective maintenance of law and order,” he added
The president noted that a professional police service fosters harmonious relationships with citizens and communities, and therefore cannot be weaponised in pursuit of divisive or partisan agenda and can never resort to disastrous policies like extra-judicial murder as part of policing.
“It is time to retire these terrible tactics and professionalise our criminal justice system. That is why our government is taking strong measures to facilitate the enhancement of capacities along the chain ,” he said
At the same time, Ruto said his government has undertaken its obligations to observe judicial independence while actualising the Judiciary Fund, enhancing budgetary allocation to enable it invest in infrastructure and facilitate the appointment of more judges to expand access to justice.
He said a well-resourced, independent, impartial and thoroughly professional judiciary is indispensable for good governance, law and order and is also essential for financial sustainability, transactional effectiveness and business competitiveness.
“The institutional independence of the judiciary must be upheld at all times, and the independence of judges respected as the minimum gesture of respect for the rule of law,” he said
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