Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has ordered all state procurement
personnel in the country to undergo lie-detector test as part of
measures to tackle graft.
This directive was issued yesterday after dozens of officials and
business people were detained for alleged theft of public funds.
“All heads of procurement and accounts in government ministries,
departments, agencies and parastatals will undergo fresh vetting
including polygraph testing, to determine their integrity and
suitability,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement released by
his office.
“Those who shall fail the vetting (through lie-detector test) will
stand suspended. I expect this exercise to be concluded before the start
of the new financial year (2018/2019),” he added.
The next financial year begins on July 1.
While Kenyatta pledged to stamp out graft when first elected in 2013,
critics say he has been slow in pursuing top officials. No high-profile
conviction has occurred since he took office.
On Thursday, the director of criminal investigations said 10
financial institutions had come under investigation on suspicion of
handling the missing funds, including the East African country’s biggest
bank by assets, KCB Group, and Standard Chartered’s Kenyan business.
The case triggered protests in the capital, Nairobi, where 200 people
marched through the streets to protest against what they said were
“high levels of corruption”.