Why national integrity academy is vital

The news of the arrest of two top managers of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) last week was disturbing to those of us still holding onto some hope that public systems can work.

You see, NHIF was among the few beacons of hope where many public institutions have been on a steady decline for the past two decades due to massive corruption.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has been very vocal on the need to improve the health sector and has matched word and action in keeping the dream of universal health care on, a concept whose only possible vehicle is the national health insurer.

Though it may be too early to judge the two officials so far in court, the mere fact that the institution that carries so much hope for millions of Kenyans is in the news for corruption, is bad.

There has been so much positivity about what the NHIF has and can do for the Kenyans. The country must start asking itself where the integrity of people in public offices has vanished to.

If we had women and men of integrity holding public offices at whatever rank, cases of corruption and unethical conduct would be minimal. We would not hear of leakage of exams aided by parents, teachers and security officers. Cases of embezzlement of public funds at national and county governments would be unheard of. The police would also be performing their duties without seeking bribes. Farmers would not be suffering as ghost farmers sell maize to the government at their expense.

All these problems have been brought about by public and state officers and leaders who lack integrity. This is the root cause of corruption.

The media are currently awash with news of corruption and unethical conduct in public offices. These cases have been happening at public offices and acts committed by public officers or under their watch.

These are officers who lack integrity. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has escalated efforts to fight corruption and unethical conduct.

Its core mandate is law enforcement. The establishment of the National Integrity Academy by EACC aims to strengthen public integrity.

The overall objective of the academy is to develop capacity of practitioners in all sectors to prevent corruption. The goal is to entrench a culture of integrity. The academy will empower public officers and non-state actors with ethics and integrity knowledge.

The establishment of the academy is in line with Section 53 of Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012, that mandates the EACC to oversee the provision of long-term education and training on leadership and integrity to all public officers.

EACC chairman Eliud Wabukala says the commission is keen on “creating an environment that is hostile to the corrupt so that those who accept to hold public office operate within the law.”

Let the integrity walk begin with holders of state and public offices upholding integrity. In the meantime, everything must be done to protect NHIF.