Ruto sets aggressive anti-corruption and economic growth goals for new cabinet

President William Ruto has set out a clear and ambitious agenda for his newly reconstituted Cabinet, stressing the need to prioritise key areas to drive national progress.

Ruto, speaking at the presidential palace in Nairobi on Thursday, outlined a comprehensive plan to fight corruption, increase transparency and boost Kenya’s economic growth.

"We are at a critical point in our journey," Ruto commented, stressing the urgency of the task ahead. “The reshuffled cabinet will focus on several key areas to accelerate progress towards our goals.”

Among other things, the president has strongly emphasized accountability and cracking down on corruption.

To ensure responsible use of public resources, Ruto announced plans to roll out new measures.

“We will take steps to impose a surcharge on accountants or public officials who cause loss of public resources.he said, stressing his commitment to holding officials accountable.

Ghost Worker

To combat wage fraud, Ruto proposed implementing a unified personal identification system across all levels of government.

“To eliminate ‘ghost employee’ wage fraud, we will implement a unified personal identification system for all personnel across government.” he explained.

The move is aimed at streamlining government payroll and preventing fraudulent activities that waste public funds.

Public Officers Screening

Ruto also stressed the need for a stricter vetting process for public officials. He announced that the Cabinet will introduce a legal and institutional framework for mandatory and ongoing vetting of all public officials. The framework will centralize wealth declarations, ensuring transparency and accountability through one office.

The President stressed the importance of speedy justice in corruption cases. “We will ensure that all offences related to corruption and economic crime are promptly investigated and prosecuted.” Ruto said.

The effort will involve updating relevant laws and ensuring corruption cases are resolved within six months, reflecting the government’s determination to curb corruption.

Witness Protection

To further strengthen the fight against corruption, Ruto pledged to strengthen the Witness Protection Act. He stressed the need to make it easier and safer for citizens and whistleblowers to report corruption.

“By making it easier and safer for citizens and whistleblowers to report corruption and economic crime, our fight against corruption will be greatly strengthened.” Ruto added.

Legislative support also plays a vital role in Ruto’s transparency plan. He highlighted his work with the parliamentary leadership to expedite the enactment of the Conflict of Interest Bill. Ruto said he is committed to signing effective legislation to strengthen the government’s stance on integrity and transparency.

Government spending

Public expenditure management is another area of ​​planned reform under Ruto, who announced plans to adopt a zero-based budgeting system starting from the 2025-2026 fiscal year. “We will recalibrate the government’s budget and spending framework.” He said this marked a major shift in the efficiency of using public funds.

Additionally, Ruto advocated the use of technology as an important tool to reduce corruption. “We will harness the power of information and communications technology to radically reduce opportunities for corruption by digitizing and making procurement more transparent.” He explained.

VAT refund

The VAT refund process will also be reformed to increase transparency. “We will establish a framework to ensure the VAT refund process is open, transparent and accountable.” Ruto said it was ensured that businesses received refunds in a timely manner.

Finally, Ruto called for cooperation with Parliament to support local industries. “The reconstituted cabinet will work with parliament to develop measures to boost local manufacturing and create jobs by restricting imports of products that can be produced domestically.” he added, stressing the need to enhance Kenya’s industrial capacity.

In closing, Ruto reiterated that the Kenya Kwanza Plan, developed over the past two years, focuses on job creation, boosting local industrial capacity and wealth creation. He urged the Cabinet to accelerate the achievement of these goals based on the existing foundation.

“A reconstituted Cabinet will accelerate our progress and build on this strong foundation.” Ruto said in the affirmative, laying the foundation for the next phase of his government’s development agenda.