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Partners mark International Anti-Corruption Day in Kiambu County 

Kiambu, 9 December 2020 - Kenya today joined the rest of the world in commemorating International Anti-Corruption Day with an event organized by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and various partners including UNODC and the County Government of Kiambu.

The trending social media hashtags -  #UnitedAgainstCorruption and #UNODConCorruption - highlighted the eagerness of Kenyans and people worldwide to fight corruption.  

The EACC event was hosted in Kiambu County, in Ndumberi Grounds, with similar commemoration events happening in Nyamira and Nandi Counties.

The County of Kiambu is one that has faced leadership changes in the recent past due to corruption investigations and prosecutions against county officials. 

The event was significant as it also marked the unveiling of the Kenya Integrity Plan 2019-2023 that was developed by the Kenya Leadership and Integrity Forum (KLIF).

KLIF is a stakeholders forum consisting of 20 sectors collaborating to fight corruption and unethical practices in Kenya. The key stakeholders include the national government, county governments, private sector and the media, among others.  

The President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, gave his speech virtually, stressing the government's commitment to the fight against corruption. He celebrated the significant strides made in the fight against corruption such as the high profile investigation and prosecution of graft cases including those of governors, ministers and other government officials.

President Kenyatta commended the landmark jurisprudence from the Kenya Judiciary that prohibits government and public officials from continuing to hold office in cases under investigation and prosecution, as this hinders proper delivery of justice.  

UNDOC Regional Anti-Corruption Advisor, David Robinson, highlighted UNODC’s firm support of Member States' efforts to harness the opportunities presented by technology in the fight against corruption. He stated that such efforts present a unique opportunity to include young people in combating corruption. Further, he applauded Kiambu County’s proactive support of this year’s commemoration events.

“Africa is perceived as being part of the problem of corruption but instead, Africa is the solution,” Mr Robinson said.

The Deputy CEO of EACC, Mr. Abdi Mohamud, also highlighted the prosecution of 110 high impact cases.

Mr. Abdi noted that the EACC had recovered Ksh 6.2 billion through the fraud asset recovery mechanisms and that a further Ksh 2.5 billion worth of assets were expected to be recovered in pending court cases.  

Further, the Attorney General, Mr. Paul Kihara, present in the commemoration events, called on all citizens to take an active role in the fight against corruption and emphasized the importance of ethics and values in the fight against corruption.

The EACC Chairman, Rtd. Archbishop Eliud Wabukhala called on citizens to demand ethical leadership from their representatives, which he believed would bolster anti-corruption efforts in the country. 

Kiambu Governor, Hon. Dr. James Nyoro, highlighted the role that technology has played in reducing corruption in the procurement sector but also emphasized that more needs to be done in cyber security to ensure that these technologies are secure.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the various speakers at the event such as Kiambu County Commissioner, Mr. Wilson Wanyaga, and Kiambu County Speaker of Assembly, Mr. Stephen Ndichu, among others. 

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Main photo (L-R front row): UNODC's Mr. David Robinson, EACC Chairman Archbishop (Rtd) Eliud Wabukala and Kenya's Attorney-General Mr. Paul Kihara