REPUBLIC OF KENYA

COUNTRY STATEMENT

BY

AMB. MICHAEL A.O. OYUGI

AMBASSADOR/PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF KENYA TO
THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
& LEADER OF DELEGATION

DELIVERED ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

DURING THE
TH
6 SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF STATES PARTIES TO THE
UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION AGAINST CORRUPTION (UNCAC).

HELD AT

THE LENEXPO EXHIBITION COMPLEX,

ST. PETERSBURG,
RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

2-6 NOVEMBER, 2015.

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Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. The Kenya Delegation joins other delegations in expressing its heartfelt

condolences to the Government and the people of the Russian Federation
following the plane crash of a St. Petersburg-bound Russian passenger plane
on 31st October. We also take this opportunity to congratulate you and the
Bureau on your election to preside over this Session. We are grateful to the
Government and the people of the Russian Federation for the warm
hospitality and the excellent arrangements made for this Conference.

Mr. President,

2. Kenya associates itself with the statements of the African Group and the
Group of 77 + China. Kenya fully supports the implementation of UNCAC
as it provides the most objective framework for a global onslaught on
corruption. It is no wonder that the Convention has attained near-universal
ratification. We are happy to inform that Kenya successfully underwent its
implementation review. The Country Report was finalized in September, this
year. The review was performed by Cape Verde and Papua New Guinea.

3. The Report has noted some best practices in our anti-corruption model,
which include: the use of an Integrated Public Complaints Referral
Mechanism, and the adoption of a multi-sectoral approach to fighting
corruption through the Kenya Integrity Plan. The Report further notes that
Kenya is largely compliant with its UNCAC obligations but that we need to
enhance mechanisms for enforcing our anti-corruption laws and also
criminalise illicit enrichment and trading in influence. We have accepted the
recommendations and are working on an implementation framework.

Mr. President,

4. It is acknowledged that political will hugely boosts the fight against

corruption. Under the leadership of His Excellency President Uhuru
Kenyatta, Kenya has taken significant steps in the fight against corruption.
For instance, while giving his 2ndAnnual State of the Nation Address to
Parliament in March, 2015, the President asked top senior state officers,

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 including 5 Cabinet Secretaries, who were the subject of corruption
investigations, to step aside from their positions pending the conclusion of
the investigations. Likewise, in March (2015), the Government appointed a
task force to review the legal, policy and institutional framework for fighting
corruption in Kenya. One of the reference documents used by the Task Force
was the UNCAC Country Review Report.

5. On its part, Parliament has demonstrated renewed vigour in supporting the

fight against corruption. This has been through various measures, such as:
enactment of various pieces of anti-corruption laws; enhanced budgetary
allocation to various anti-corruption agencies, and vetting of senior state
officers before appointment by the President.

Mr. President,

6. In line with its preventive approach to fighting corruption, Kenya has

introduced far-reaching measures. Notable among these are: a compulsory
requirement that all payments from the Government be made on ICT-based
platforms so as to reduce human contact; the establishment of Huduma
Centres to provide a one-stop-shop for provision of essential Government
services. The Huduma Centre concept won Kenya the 2015 UN Public
Service Award in Improving Delivery of Public Services.

7. Additionally, Kenya has adopted an Integrated Financial Management

System geared towards enhanced transparency and accountability in the
management of public funds. Kenya has also adopted an ICT-based E-
Citizen platform through which citizens can apply and pay for passports,
driving licences, business registration, marriage certificates, land search
certificates and other necessary documents.

8. On asset recovery, we strongly support the confiscation of corruptly-

acquired assets and appreciate the good work done by the Working Group
on Asset Recovery. Kenya has strengthened the capacity of the Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Assets Recovery Agency.
Furthermore, Kenya is an active member of the Asset Recovery International
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 Network, and currently serves as the President of the Asset Recovery
International Network for East Africa.

9. On international co-operation, Kenya continues to work with several states.

However, we are concerned about the legal and administrative bottlenecks
that frustrate the return of stolen assets especially from some developed
countries. We, therefore, reiterate our call to recipient countries of illicitly-
acquired assets to repatriate the same to the countries of origin and remove
all barriers to asset recovery.

10. On technical assistance, Kenya has identified various needs such as model
legislation and use of special investigative techniques. We acknowledge the
support we have received from UNODC, UNDP and GIZ. We are also
grateful to UNODC for support in preventing and combating corruption
which perpetrates wildlife crimes such as poaching and illicit trade in
wildlife species and trophies.

Mr. President,

11. In conclusion, Kenya reiterates its commitment to supporting international

and regional efforts towards fighting corruption, and particularly to the full
implementation of UNCAC. We look forward to participating in the 2nd
cycle of the UNCAC review focusing on Prevention and Asset Recovery.

I thank you.