• Wekesa urged the county officials to cooperate and support EACC officers carrying out the risk assessment test.
• Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok welcomed the audit saying it came at a good time and promised to implement any recommendations given.
Image: EACC
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has launched a Corruption Risk Assessment exercise of the policies and practices of the Bomet County government.
The audit targeting both executive and county assembly will take two weeks.
Launching the exercise, the Commission’s South Rift Regional Manager Ignatius Wekesa, warned against conflict of interest in staff employment.
He said there are currently two counties under inquiry for recruitment irregularities.
Wekesa urged the county officials to cooperate and support EACC officers carrying out the risk assessment test.
He lauded the officials for their past cooperation with the Commission in undertaking its duties.
The Regional Manager said the audit was meant to help the county run its operations smoothly, adding that it seeks to identify corruption loopholes and recommend strategies for dealing with them.
"This corruption prevention strategy also seeks to enable institutions to promote ethical practices. I, therefore, urge the Governor, Honorable Speaker, Service Board members, Members of County Assembly and Management to fully embrace this exercise," he said.
Also attending the launch was EACC Head of Corruption Prevention Neema Mkorori, who said the exercise is not an investigation.
"It is important to note that this is a partnership, not an investigation, to make you better both as a country and a county government," she said.
Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok welcomed the audit saying it came a good time and promised to implement any recommendations given.
"EACC is our partner and is here today not to find fault but to find areas where we can improve," he said.
He urged the county government to promote good governance, pointing out that the County Government is held accountable by the public.
"EACC is here in Bomet to strengthen the systems of Bomet so that the Governor and every public officer who is serving with us can be accountable to ensure that our people receive excellent services," he said.
Barchok said the county has already begun initiatives to end corruption by ensuring that there is increased supervision at collection points and automation of systems in county governments.
"Cashless payments ward off dishonest collectors who want to divert the money collected for their own personal use. I want to send a stern warning to any staff found culpable that appropriate disciplinary action will be instituted against them," he added.
He said if they manage to block all graft loopholes, Bomet has the potential to collect Sh500 million annually, against the current Sh200 million.
"One way of ensuring that we maximize the usage of our resources is to reduce the leakages that come because of people who want to swell their pockets with those resources," he said.
The forum is part of EACC's mandate, where it carries out a corruption risk assessment in public institutions and advises on the way forward, after their findings.