Commission Strengthens Ethics In Coastal Lands Offices

Coastal Lands officials pose for a group photograph with EACC secretariat, the Vice Chair Sophia Lepuchirit and Ambassador Julius Kandie( Rep PS Ministry of lands).

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has recently completed a series of capacity building workshops on the implementation of its Leadership and Integrity Regulations, 2015, for ministry of lands officials in the coastal region. The primary aim of the workshops was to foster sound and transformational leadership in order to  ensure integrity and ethics in service delivery.

The last workshop in the series was held between 3rd and 4th May 2018 at North Coast Beach Hotel in Kilifi County and was officially opened by Ambassador Julius Kandie, who represented the principal secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning.

EACC’s Vice Chair Sophia Lepuchirit, who accompanied Ambassador Kandie, noted that the ministry had been adversely mentioned in the recently launched National Ethics and Corruption Survey 2016 where 7.5 percent of respondents cited it as being corrupt. At the same time, she lauded the ministry for its commitment to implement the recommendations of a lands examination survey report launched early in the year by the Commission. She specifically appreciated the ministry’s ongoing efforts to digitize lands records as recommended in the survey.

Ms Lepuchirit said that the Commission was committed to providing technical support to develop specific leadership and integrity codes for state officers in the ministry as required under section 37 of the Leadership and Integrity Act 2012.

Ambassador Kandie expressed optimism over the ongoing land reforms, citing the digitization process as a success. He thanked the Commission for its support in the examination process that “has helped the ministry to streamline its services and process to ensure that corruption loopholes sealed”.

The workshop targeted lands registrars and senior ministry officials in the larger coastal region.