Every time Parliamentary committees vet Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and envoys they are required to declare their wealth.
This is to enable Kenyans to know how much their officials are worth as per
The Public Officer Ethics Act.
As they quote millions of shillings on a yearly basis, some Kenyans are left wondering how they arrived at the figures.
But one question that is always assumed is; are they honest with the wealth declaration? Are they always telling the truth or a big fat lie?
When a CS is vetted into office, after some time the net worth is expected to rise rather than deep as it is with some of them.
Net worth
is the amount by which assets exceed liabilities.
Another way to say this is, it's the
value
of everything you own, minus all your debts.
'Mailu'
During the 2018 vetting of envoys appointed by president Uhuru Kenyatta, former Health CS Cleopa Mailu was rated at the richest among the envoys.
Read:
Mailu,
Kenya's
permanent representative
to the
United Nations
in
Geneva told the Parliamentary watchdog that he is worth Sh617 million.
Before he was appointed to the UN in Geneva, Mailu was the Health CS who faced a vetting committee in 2015.
During the vetting that year, Mailu who was former Nairobi Hospital CEO said he had a net worth of Sh615 million.
Does it mean that during his three-year tenure in the Health Ministry, the minister only accrued Sh2million only in new wealth?
Mailu was earning more than Sh4 million less than he when he was CEO, with CSs’ salaries and allowances set at around Sh1.2 million monthly.
The nominee told the committee in 2015 that he does not envisage any deferred income or future benefits and does not have outside commitments he plans to pursue outside employment.
His main source of income in 2014 was Sh67,000,000, being salary from the Nairobi Hospital employment.
'Dan Kazungu'
During his vetting on February 28, 2018, Kazungu who is heading to Tanzania as an ambassador, disclosed to the committee that he was worth Sh32.7 million.
Kazungu was the former mining Cabinet Secretary before he was moved to Tanzania.
When he faced the vetting panel in 2015, Kazungu who was the then
Malindi MP was the least prosperous declaring a net worth of Sh100 million.
Today, the ambassador says his net worth has declined to
only Sh32million.
This means that Kazungu's net worth declined by Sh68million.
But how is this possible?
'Willy Bett'
Appearing before the vetting panel, Bett who is now headed to be the Indian ambassador
said he was worth Sh125million.
Bett told the
Justice and Legal Affairs Committee that
the millions were mainly from employment, farming and rental income.
This is less the amount he was worth when he appeared to be vetted in 2015 by the vetting panel.
Bett who was the Agriculture CS
estimated a net worth of Sh127 million telling the panel that his money was from employment, farming and rental income.
This means his net worth has declined by Sh2million.
The government has sought to tighten the declaration of wealth requirement, amid accusations that political appointees use their positions to enrich themselves, leaving office much richer than they were when they came in.
The government proposed that appointed and elected officials declare their wealth within 30 days of taking office.
They will also be required to declare their wealth yearly and when they leave office.
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