The Makueni county government has made strategic strides towards entrenching its name as the least corrupt county in Kenya.
Area governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr has disclosed that the county administration has automated several services, including the revenue section, suppliers and hospitals, saying this has led to a reduction of corruption in government offices, as there was minimum interaction.
“The idea is to prevent corruption and to have mechanisms that will avert the vice. Number one is automation of services in government offices such that nobody will bribe to obtain a licence, or when paying for parking, registering to be a supplier or even getting a contract,” said Mutula, when he hosted a delegation from the Ethics Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) led by Commissioner Alfred Mshimba and officials from the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GCIC), including Judy Oduma, in his Wote office.
“The method of making sure that we avoid human interaction, where people crowd offices, has borne fruit as everything is done online,” he added.
According to the EACC Commission’s National Ethics and Corruption Survey (NECS) for 2024, Makueni County recorded the lowest likelihood of officials soliciting bribes at 0.61 times, distinguishing it as the most transparent and accountable among the 47 counties in the country.
During the discussions, it was agreed that a County Corruption prevention Committee be established as envisioned under the 2023 EACC Guidelines.
The committee will develop frameworks to mainstream corruption prevention in the public service, enhance transparency, reduce graft prevalence and build a positive culture of integrity.
The governor lauded the EACC–GCIC partnership, which emphasises corruption prevention through systematic approaches as opposed to prosecution-only mechanisms.
On his part, Mshimba lauded Makueni for being the least corrupt county, saying they conduct annual surveys.
“We conduct surveys on corruption in the whole country annually; it has been released. Makueni is the lowest on issues of bribery,” he said.
The discussions focused on strengthening corruption prevention and enhancing performance management.
By Patrick Nyakundi
