President Ruto breaks silence on employment and corruption

By Robert Mutasi 

President William Ruto,has reaffirmed his stand against corruption in Kenya and called upon local leadership to become his "eyes on the ground." 

Speaking on Monday, 16th September 2024, Ruto underscored the importance of equity in employment as a means of reducing bribery practices that favor inequality and hinder growth.

"Come on, let's spread employment so we don't have multiple youths from the same family getting jobs, in other words. Chiefs, I need you to be my eyes and if you spot a bribery incident, look for my number and call me if necessary. Corruption is killing us," he stated.

Ruto's remarks come amidst concerns that corruption has remained one of Kenya's main obstacles to development.

 While there have been efforts by previous regimes and anti-corruption agencies, the war against graft has more often than not been plagued by problems that range from institutional weaknesses to high-level interference. 

In 2022, for example, Kenya ranked 123rd out of 180 countries in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, a ranking that suggests how deeply ingrained corruption is in the country.

President Ruto call for "spreading employment" is an indication that nepotism has been strikingly pervasive in the appointment of jobs to many families at the expense of numbers of qualified youths who languish in unemployment. 

More recently, allegations of mismanagement of finances in government procurement processes and the misuse of public money have continued to dog this administration.

However, delays in the judiciary as well as political intermeddling frustrated quick convictions, adding to public anger.

In essence, calling chiefs directly into his speech is a key shift in President Ruto's approach as he pursues decentralizing the anticorruption fight. He then hopes to set up a system in which acts of corruption can be reported and dealt with before they balloon out to national scandals.

While it is still a hard battle to eradicate corrupt practices in Kenya, this proactive stance by President Ruto goes a long way to show his intention to entrench transparency, fairness, and accountability in employment and public service.

Corruption has remained one of Kenya's longest and most tortuous wars, characterized by high-profile scandals that have headlined almost each news bulletin.