Ruto warns state officials on corruption

President William Ruto has issued a stern warning to governors and State officials who engage in corruption, saying it will not be business as usual.
Ruto said it was unacceptable for funds meant for public use to be misused or stolen by a few individuals at the expense of service delivery.
“It cannot be the case that we lose revenue and cannot deliver public service because a few people decided to make away with public money,” warned Ruto.
“It is not going to happen…it is not going to be business as usual. We will do whatever it takes, whoever it is, whatever office you occupy, whatever friends you have, it will not be business as usual and I want to say that with clarity,” the president said.
“Kenyans across the board, from the entire political divide, want us to stand on the same side against corruption. For this reason, we shall treat corruption at all levels of government as a high-priority law enforcement issue requiring an expeditious and decisive response. Regardless of position, office, or status, any person implicated in the loss of public funds must encounter the punitive consequences of their actions.”
The President wa in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, where he was addressing the 8th Devolution Conference.
The conference’s focus on “Ten Years of Devolution: The Present and The Future” provides an venue for evaluating the successes and difficulties of devolved governance over the previous ten years.
The Head of State listed other issues impeding the efficient implementation of devolution, such as ineffective coordination, restrictive administrative structures, and inefficiencies.
According to Ruto, there are capacity gaps that have caused policies, programs, and projects to be poorly implemented or not implemented at all.
He appealed for prompt and effective administration of the framework for equitable allocation, stating that delays in making payments to counties had a negative impact on a number of industries.
“There is no excuse for this, and we simply have to do better,” he said.
He claimed to understand the justification for increasing county shared revenue allocation and the need to devolve authority to the smallest practicable level of political organization.
The president additionally urged action to improve efficiency and effectiveness and to guarantee that every project, program, and policy continuously met the highest standards.
“This would require introducing performance management for high quality and sustainable service delivery in the counties.”