Speaking at an investors' conference in Nairobi, Mr Odinga said that
the government was planning to introduce a law blocking civil servants
from running private businesses while in service.
A policy was being worked on, he said, to ensure that civil servants
devoted their time and energy to their duties to improve service
delivery to the public.
Living standards
But to protect the living standards of public servants, their salaries will be improved.
We want to offer the public servants a better salary deal so that they
stop engaging in private business ventures but those who feel otherwise
will have to quit their jobs to do their business on a full time
basis, he said.
Mr Odinga told a Kenyan Investment Conference that the government was
determined to get out of commercial activities and focus on its role as
facilitator and regulator.
We want to woo local and foreign investors and that is why we have put
special emphasis on infrastructure to reduce the cost of doing business
especially in the energy sector which has been quite a challenge, he
said.
Earlier, Mr Odinga defended the government's record in the fight against corruption, saying he and Mr Kibaki were clean.
President Kibaki and myself have never been involved in corruption in
our careers, Mr Odinga said firmly, in response to a question by an
investor at the conference organised by Euromoney, a leading convenor
of economy meetings. Some 104 potential foreign investors are attending
the forum.
Addressing the conference, President Kibaki outlined the measures the government is taking to make the economy more competitive.
Among them is an investment of Sh360 billion in infrastructure as well
as improving the quality of workers through free education and
revamping technical colleges.
Responding to the government proposal, Union of Kenya Civil Servants
secretary general Tom Odege said members will only accept it if their
salaries were raised.
In addition, the government should pay its workers a transport and
house allowance at market rates and establish a medical scheme for them.
Life is very harsh and civil servants are forced to engage in private
business to cope, Mr Odege said by phone from South Africa. He said
the previous system which barred civil servants from doing business
failed because the government could not afford to pay them a good wage.
The government allowed civil servants to go into private business in
1972, following the recommendations of the Ndegwa Commission. They were
supposed to get clearance from their immediate bosses to avoid a
conflict of interest.
Africanisation
Flourishing corruption since the 1970s has been blamed on government
officials, including ministers, their assistants and permanent
secretaries doing business with their own departments.
Apart from the realisation by the government that it could not pay
civil servants well, the Ndegwa Commission report paved the way for
private business as part of the Africanisation process.
It was recognised that it was civil servants who had the education, the
entrepreneurial spirit and the capital to drive the nascent private
sector and locking them out of business was detrimental to the economy.
Civil servants were allowed to do business on condition that there was going to be a stronger code of ethics as a safeguard.
It was also agreed that there was going to be an ombudsman, to receive complaints of corruption among civil servants.
The police force, has specifically come under the limelight with
allegations that 60 per cent of matatus (Public Service Vehicles) are
owned by officers, many of them from the Traffic department which is
charged with enforcing the law on the roads.
The Public Officer Ethics Act, 2003, has put in place a code of conduct
for the public service, contained in Section 11 of the Act.
Yet, observers maintain that it is difficult to establish those
operating business through nominees, and more so difficult to establish
vested interests.
Daily Nation
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