Wednesday 12 June 2013

[wanabidii] POLICY WATCH



Roz,
 
 
I am impressed with details of what came out from President Uhuru's speech........that, top on the agenda is
that corruption must be fought if Vision 2030 must succeed; that discipline and committment to public service
with all playing by the same set of rules will not stray from his focus.
 
 
I think this is good stuff and is pleasant music for the ears.
 
 
However, I only hope Uhuru will remain true to his message
for service to the people........It takes two to tango and it
remains with the people to engage President Uhuru to fulfill
and stay the course on his promises.
 
 
I am truely impressed and hope for better things to come
through leadership of integrity.......because;
 
 
Yes, it can be done............
 
 
Cheers !!!
 
 
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
 
 


--- On Wed, 6/12/13, roz kahumbu <rozkah2005@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: roz kahumbu <rozkah2005@yahoo.com>
Subject: POLICY WATCH
To: "wanakenya" <wanakenya@googlegroups.com>, "KENYA ONLINE" <kenyaonline@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 8:51 PM

POLICY WATCH: President @Uhuru Kenyatta Full Speech at Leadership and Integrity Conference

by Dennis Itumbi (Notes) on Wednesday, 12 June 2013 at 12:54
SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H., PRESIDENT AND
COMMANDER- IN-CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING
THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND INTEGRITY CONFERENCE, KENYA SCHOOL OF MONETARY
STUDIES, 12TH JUNE, 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to be here with you today as we discuss the important subject
of leadership and integrity in our country. This conference comes at an
opportune time when my Government is restructuring the organization of the
Government and marks an important step in our efforts towards promoting
good governance and integrity in our country.

The subject of the conference is dear to me as I believe leadership and
integrity are key components in the development of any society. I am
optimistic that the conference will bring our efforts towards improving
governance in our country to a higher level.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you are aware, we are as a country, implementing Vision 2030 - our
development blueprint which aims at transforming Kenya into a newly
industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality life to
all its citizens by the year 2030. Although we are blessed with rich
natural resources, a relatively well developed infrastructure, an educated
and hardworking workforce as well as strategic location, we cannot achieve
this goal without eradicating corruption.

Indeed, corruption undermines development and service delivery by
diverting development resources to the personal gain of a few individuals;
increasing the cost of doing business; distorting public expenditures;
discouraging foreign investors; reducing economic efficiency and slowing
down administrative processes thereby making the implementation of
government policies ineffective.

If not well addressed, therefore, corruption may hinder the achievement of
Vision 2030 and other development goals. Indeed, it is evident that we can
only succeed if we have a public service that manages public resources
prudently and ethically and which operates efficiently. Kenyans must,
therefore, be vigilant on how public resources are used in order for us to
ensure our development goals are achieved as envisaged.


Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we are all aware, the country has undertaken various measures geared
towards strengthening the legal and institutional framework to fight
corruption and improve governance. Some of these reforms include the
enactment of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2011, and the
Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012, among others. The country has also
embraced best practices in the management of public affairs such as
Performance Contracting system and the Rapid Results Initiatives.

More importantly, the country adopted a new Constitution which is very
clear on matters of integrity and governance and which obliges state
officers to carry out their duties efficiently and effectively, while
demanding that government activities be transparent, responsible and
accountable
. In spite of the progress we have made in the fight against
corruption and improvement of governance through these efforts, corruption
remains rife in our public institutions and much more remains to be done.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to state very clearly today that my Government will not tolerate
corrupt public officers.
I remind all public officers that the authority
assigned to them is a public trust. All public officers have a
responsibility to serve the people, rather than themselves. I expect all
public officers to abide by the guiding principles of leadership and
integrity which include: selection on the basis of personal integrity,
competence and suitability; selfless service based solely on public
interest; accountability to the public for decisions and actions; and
discipline and commitment in service to the people.

As I pointed out in my message to Kenyans during Madaraka Day
celebrations, corruption and impunity are major hindrances to our progress
and must be contained. My Government is, therefore, committed to cleaning
the public service to ensure offices are manned by men and women of
integrity. This will help us achieve our vision of a corrupt-free society
as envisaged in the third pillar of the Jubilee Manifesto on openness
(Uwazi). So far, we have demonstrated this commitment in the appointment
of Cabinet Secretaries and in the nomination of Principal Secretaries.

We will extend the war against corruption to the counties as well by
strengthening governance systems in county governments in order to seal
corruption loopholes and resource leakages. I wish to reiterate that
public resource wastage cannot and will not be tolerated. Public
resources should be allocated according to policy priorities and all
public institutions should ensure efficient spending and value for money.

As we are all aware, there is a strong correlation between services and
corruption. Indeed, corruption is prevalent where government services are
in great demand by the people. To be effective in fighting corruption,
therefore, I call upon anti-corruption agencies to map all key services
that are demanded by wananchi on regular basis and to identify ministries
and departments that are high up in the corruption index and where
willingness to change is minimal. Once this is done, appropriate
strategies to fight corruption and unethical practices should be
developed. These should include digitizing delivery of services where
possible;
reviewing procurement law and procedures, strengthening internal
and external audit, enhancing surveillance by the Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission, Police Oversight Authority and other agencies,
and putting in place mechanisms for involving the people in fighting
corruption.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we do our part as Government, it must not be forgotten that corruption
is a multifaceted phenomenon which requires to be addressed by multiple
actors. Because of its pervasive nature and magnitude, it is imperative
that all sectors in our society work together in a concerted manner. I,
therefore, appeal to the private sector, professional organizations,
media, the civil society and indeed all Kenyans, to be actively involved
in the fight against corruption. Let us all move beyond the practice of
decrying the prevalence of corruption within Government and join hands in
doing what each one of us can do to eradicate this vice from our society.

In particular, I call upon the private sector - which plays a major role
in the supply side of corruption - to ensure fair dealings with business
partners and especially with public institutions. Let me emphasize that
creating an ethical business culture should not be viewed as a sacrifice.
Indeed, it is good business to be open and honest with your stakeholders,
to reward employees to be honest and ethical and to be known as a firm
that deals fairly in its business transactions.

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I commend the Kenya Integrity Forum,
the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the 14 sectors implementing
the National Anti-Corruption Plan for their continued efforts in fighting
corruption. I also direct all these sectors to now step up surveillance
and institute quick proceedings and sanctions against officers found to be
corrupt.

The legal framework to fight corruption is in place and what is now
required of anti-corruption agencies is a clear resolve and commitment to
individually and collectively create a public service built on high moral
values and integrity. I take this opportunity to assure all agencies
mandated to fight corruption of my full support in executing their
mandate.
I will walk together with you in ensuring that clean governance
and integrity becomes our way of life.

With these remarks, it is now my pleasure to wish you fruitful
deliberations and to declare this conference officially open.

Thank you and God bless you all.
 
 

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