Public procurement jobs vetting key to graft fight

President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister display a copy of BBI Report during the presentation at Kisii State Lodge. PHOTO | PSCU

Proposals in the report of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) task force to have the National Intelligence Service (NIS) conduct background security checks on candidates seeking public procurement and finance jobs is worth paying attention to.

Having the candidates vetted for criminality could help save the country billions of shillings lost through corrupt deals, orchestrated by procurement officials and top executives in State agencies.

But if the proposal is approved, even those holding the positions currently should be vetted.

In September, the Auditor-General indicated that 23 ministry departments and agencies could not account for Sh16.6 billion expenditure in the last financial year. If officials engaged in the mismanagement of such funds continue holding office, it will be hard for new employees to implement changes.

This law should also be backed by the prosecution of officials found to have acquired their wealth illegally.

A Public Investment Committee (PIC) report recently found that some State corporations engage in irregular procurement deals, flouting provisions of the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Act. Such a corporation should be investigated further and the culprits made to face the law.

The background checks are also necessary to discourage the clamour for top posts by people looking to enrich themselves, leaving lean, focused teams to work for the good of Kenyans.

Government officials have been fighting to head some agencies seen as having easy money to embezzle, compromising the ability of the institutions to provide crucial public services. A case in point is the troubled Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services where officials have been been engaged in leadership wrangles when the country continues to face a shortage of blood.

The security clearance proposal will set Kenya on a similar course with the US and the UK which have low levels of public sector corruption.

If implemented, the background checks should be backed by political will and strong judicial systems. Last but not least, bribery should not dictate how deeply the NIS investigators will dig into the criminal and financial records.