- The government will further review and amend the Witness Protection Act to provide appropriate incentives and safeguards for whistleblowers.
- According to the Cabinet, the government will transition to a zero-based budgeting system starting from the Financial Year 2025/26.
Image: PCS
President William Ruto chaired the inaugural meeting of his reconstituted broad-based cabinet on Tuesday.
The Cabinet agreed on several ways the government will address corruption in the country.
The move, the Cabinet said, is part of the administration's commitment to advancing accountability and transparency in the management of public affairs as a strategy to combat corruption.
The Cabinet assessed the progress of initiatives aimed at strengthening governance and ensuring the prudent use of public resources.
They agreed on the implementation of surcharges against any accounting officer or public official whose actions or omissions lead to the loss of public resources.
"The implementation of a Unified Personnel Identification system to eradicate 'ghost worker' payroll fraud across all levels of government, including constitutional commissions," the Cabinet dispatch read.
Cabinet further agreed to establish a legal and institutional framework for mandatory and continuous vetting of all public officers, centralizing wealth declarations under a single office across the government.
They pledged timeously investigation and prosecution of corruption and economic crimes, amending relevant statutes such as the Evidence Act and the Criminal Procedure Code to ensure that corruption cases are concluded within six months.
The government will further review and amend the Witness Protection Act to provide appropriate incentives and safeguards for whistleblowers.
According to the Cabinet, the government will transition to a zero-based budgeting system starting from the Financial Year 2025-26.
The state also plans to review the VAT refund process to enhance openness, transparency, and accountability.
"To institutionalise the governance reforms, Cabinet sanctioned the conclusion of the ongoing stakeholder consultations, ensuring that public participation remains at the heart of the process," the statement reads.
"The outcome of this consultative process will be considered by Cabinet at the next meeting as the Omnibus Bill on Governance."
Tuesday's Cabinet was preceded by an induction programme designed to establish the framework for each portfolio's execution of a reimagined and catalyzed agenda as part of the administration's over-arching plan espoused as the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The Cabinet considered a range of policy proposals aimed at supporting the rollout of various State programmes and pioneering initiatives.