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 OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE ETHICS AND ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018, KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, NAIROBI, 18TH MARCH, 2014 Fellow Kenyans, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to join you today to launch the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission trategic !lan "or the period #$%&-#$%'( Ladies and Gentlemen, )he Commission*s plan resonates +ery well with my go+ernment*s commitment to continue to promote good go+ernance and to scale up the war against corruption, as set out in the second medium term plan ,#$%&-#$%./( Fellow Kenyans, )he important 0uestion we need to as1 oursel+es today is2 34hy should we 5e worried a5out corruption67 I say we should 5e concerned a5out this malpractice 5ecause it is harm"ul to the economy and itundermines the a5ility o" a nation to achie+e the goals o" its national de+elopment agenda, nota5ly po+erty reduction and jo5 creation( )here is o+erwhelming empirical e+idenceshowing that corruption undermines de+elopment( It distorts resource allocation, di+erting them to the personal gain o" a "ew indi+iduals andthus leading to a s1ewed distri5ution o" income and wealth( Corruption raises the cost o" doing 5usiness8 thus discouraging in+estment, 5y 5oth local and "oreign in+estors( 4ith su5dued in+estment, economic growth, jo5 creation and po+erty reduction are rendered impossi5le( Fellow Kenyans, Corruption is to the economy and the nation at large what cancer is to the human 5ody( It disgraces and de5ases a nation( )here"ore, corruption must go( Ladies and Gentlemen, In recognition that corruption is e+il, we as a country started to "ight it in earnest in the mid-%99$swhen we dismantled the regime o" price control, a5olished "oreign e:change control and import licensing( )hese elements o" economic policy had created opportunities and incenti+es "or corruption( In addition, legal and institutional "ramewor1 to "ight this cancer was put in place seeing, "or the

"irst time, the creation o" an Anti-Corruption Authority( Further re"orms particularly in the area o" "inancial management were put in place in the last si: years( Fellow Kenyans, )here is no dou5t the e""orts and in+estment made in the "i"teen years or so in the "ight against corruption ha+e had 5ene"icial e""ects on the economy( )o appreciate where we ha+e come "rom as a nation, you just need to tal1 to the owners o" the 5usinesses that may ha+e managed to sur+i+e, who can tell you the hollow stories and the 5ri5es they had to pay to 5e allocated "ore: and to 5e awarded import licenses( ;e+ertheless, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are not as yet out o" the woods( Corruption is still a major challenge, re0uiring to 5e con"ronted without any "ear( <y Go+ernment is, in this regard, ready to introduce "urther re"orms to strengthen our go+ernance, and to "ight corruption and economic crime( 4e remain determined to protect pu5lic resources, and to use them prudently and "or the purposes "or which they are intended( Let me 5e clear on this matter2 my Go+ernment simply will not tolerate corruption( It is our duty to protect and de"end the resources entrusted to us 5y the Kenyan people( Ladies and Gentlemen, In my address last year, during the ;ational Leadership and Integrity Con"erence at the Kenya chool o" <onetary tudies, I restated the necessity o" mapping out corruption-prone ser+ices and areas, at 5oth the national and county go+ernment le+el( I" we are to respond e""ecti+ely to the +ice, we need to 1now where and how it is happening( I instructed our anti-corruption agencies to map out e+ery 1ey ser+ice used 5y wananchi on a regular 5asis, and to identi"yministries and go+ernment departments that top in the corruption inde:8 and where willingness to change was 5elow the standard we e:pected( Let me commend the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission "or "ollowing those instructions to the letter2 they de+eloped ran1ings and 5aseline data across our pu5lic institutions and counties, on the 5asis o" demand "or payments o" 5ri5es( )his in"ormation is not only +alua5le 5ut it will "orm the 5enchmar1 against which to measure the progress o" the national and the county go+ernments* e""orts to "ight corruption and related malpractices( =ou*ll "orgi+e me "or emphasi>ing the importance o" these 5enchmar1s( For "ar too long, we ha+e relied on "oreign standards and studies, which "ail to ta1e su""icient account o" Kenyans* particular rights, e:periences and interests( )hese new metrics promise to 5e the 5eginning o" a +ital change in our understanding o" the corruption incidence( )oday, "or the "irst time, we ha+e a clear picture o" the nature and distri5ution o" corruption in the pu5lic sphere( All pu5lic institutions are directed to ta1e a +ery 1een interest in these ran1ings( It is their duty now to wor1 closely with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission

to come up with speci"ic measures to control corruption in their institutions and there5y impro+e their placement in the ran1ing( ?ur pu5lic entities ha+e no e:cuse now2 they must deal and deal swi"tly with corruption and its attendant malpractices( Fellow Kenyans, )he Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, through the trategic !lan we are launching today, has de+ised a num5er o" strategies to com5at and pre+ent corruption and unethical practices in the country( Key among these are the intensi"ication o" in+estigations, the tracing and reco+ery o" corruptly ac0uired pu5lic assets, and the widening o" the scope o" pre+enti+e measures to e+ery le+el o" go+ernment( I am glad to report that they will also monitor compliance with the pro+isions o" Chapter i: o" the Constitution on leadership and integrity( I am especially pleased that the Commission has em5ar1ed on a corruption pre+ention ad+isory programme, targeting e+ery county in the @epu5lic( Its aim is to ensure that all county go+ernments put in place policies, systems and procedures that are intolerant o" corruption( Let me 5e per"ectly clear2 it is the duty o" each and e+ery county go+ernment to ta1e this and other programmes 5eing rolled out 5y the Commission +ery seriously( It is e0ually their duty to comply with it( Ladies and Gentlemen, Ay and large, Kenyans pay their ta:es2 we ha+e one o" the largest re+enue 5ase in this part o" the world( It is logical to thin1 o" those ta:es as an in+estment in their go+ernment( 4e in go+ernment, we who ha+e 5een entrusted with that in+estment, must manage it prudently "or the 5ene"it o" our people( )hat is why we as a go+ernment ha+e initiated the Buduma Kenya programme, which I launched last year( )he aim o" this programme is to deli+er ethical and e""icient pu5lic ser+ices, in a manner that respects our present social realities( <y go+ernment "ully 5ac1s this programme, in part 5ecause it is a sure way o" addressing the petty corruption and unethical practices that remain all too common in pu5lic o""ices( )he Buduma programme 5rings direct access to users, together with adherence to 5est international standards in pu5lic ser+ice deli+ery( Importantly, it also speeds up the ser+ice deli+ery2 thus remo+ing opportunities "or corruption( 4hen "ully implemented, citi>ens will 5e a5le to con+eniently recei+e commonly used go+ernment documents such as ID cards, dri+er*s licenses, 5irth certi"icates, ta: in0uiries, registration o" 5usiness names, ;BIF and ; F C all "rom one-stop-shop, the Buduma Centres( E0ually, I am happy to see that the Commission*s ser+ices are now part o" the Buduma programme2 you can now report corruption directly through the Buduma Center at )ele-!osta )owers()his demonstrates my go+ernment*s commitment to streamline the "ight against corruption in all go+ernment programmes and acti+ities(

It was with that thought in mind that I launched the corruption reporting we5site at tate Bouse C to ease the reporting and in+estigation o" corruption in my administration( I can say, gladly, that ten ,%$/ reports ha+e 5een made through this channel, and "orwarded to the Commission "or in+estigation( Let me implore Kenyans to "ollow that e:ample2 report corruption and +iolation o" codes o" conduct to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission( It should go without saying that it is your responsi5ility as a Kenyan not to engage in corruption, and also to report to the rele+ant authority incidences o" this de5asing +ice( Ladies and Gentlemen, )he Constitution o" Kenya clearly states the need "or pu5lic institutions to ma1e their ser+ices a+aila5le to Kenyans o" all wal1s o" li"e( <y go+ernment will support the Commission as it esta5lishes itsel" in each and e+ery county o" the @epu5lic( In coming closer to Kenyans,the Commission will 5e a5le to respond e""iciently and in a timely manner to corruption8 it will 5e 5etter placed to disrupt, deter and pre+ent these practices(<y go+ernment, there"ore, will ensure that the Commission has the re0uisite in"rastructure, "inancing and personnel to implement its mandate( Fellow Kenyans, 4e must also recogni>e that mega corruption has transnational aspects( ;ations will succeed in the "ight against corruption only to the e:tent that they cooperate and colla5orate( In this regard, during my tenure as the Chair o" the East A"rican Community, I will mo5ili>e my colleagues in the Community to ensure that the EAC !rotocol on Com5ating and !re+enting Corruption, is signed and rati"ied 5y each mem5er state( Ladies and Gentlemen, )he "ight against corruption also entails some "undamental twea1ing o" our policy "ramewor1( It is now generally accepted that to win the war against corruption on a lasting 5asis, we need a trans"ormation o" our attitudes( 4e need to promote and 5uild a society that 5elie+es in integrity as a 1ey pillar o" their nationhood( 4hat continues to deny countries their a5ility to achie+e their "ull economic growth potential is not lac1 o" money or in"rastructure, 5ut lac1 o" integrity, which has led to corruption( <y go+ernment, ha+ing recogni>ed this "act, commits to de+elop a comprehensi+e national ethics and anti-corruption policy, as a 1ey pillar o" our de+elopment agenda( )his strategy should go to the root o" our society( )his I say 5ecause, I am more than con+inced to win this war, we must start "rom the 5eginning, we must start with young people at the 1indergarten le+el, and 5uild on them "rom scratch( Going "orward, I am directing the Attorney General and the Department o" Dustice, the ;ational )reasury and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to em5ar1

on the de+elopment o" this holistic policy( )he report o" their e:ercise should 5e "inali>ed 5y the end o" Decem5er, #$%E( As part o" this tas1, they should also de+elop, within the same time"rame, proposals "or the re+iew and strengthening o" the anti-corruption and ethics legal "ramewor1 in line with our medium term priorities( Let me close 5y reiterating what I said at the 5eginning( Corruption is e+il and it de5ases and degrades a nation()here"ore, we all must agree, 3corruption must go7( <y go+ernment, in this respect, will do e+erything it can to aid the "ight against corruption( Aut we need to wor1 as a team( Let us all em5race integrity(It is your duty, and mine, to end this +ice( Let us all 5e inspired 5y <artin Luther King Dunior who once said, and I 0uote, 3

I" a man is called to 5e a street sweeper, he should sweep streets e+en as <ichelangelo painted, or Aeetho+en composed music, or ha1espeare wrote poetry( Be should sweep streets so well that all the hosts o" hea+en and earth will pause and say, here li+ed a great street sweeper who did his jo5 well(7
4ith those remar1s, it is now my pleasure to declare the EACC #$%&-#$%' o""icially launched( )han1 you, God Aless Kenya( trategic !lan