Kenyan President William Ruto has signed Kenya’s Conflict of Interest Bill, 2023, into law to prevent corruption among public officers, replacing the outdated Public Officers’ Ethics Act.
The new law centralizes oversight under the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and explicitly defines conflict of interest to include actual, perceived, and future conflicts, closing loopholes that previously allowed public officers to benefit indirectly from government contracts. It also expands the definition of “family” and “relatives” to ensure that undeclared assets or gifts through spouses or dependents are covered.
Elements of The New Law
Under the new law, public officers must submit biennial declarations of their income, assets, and liabilities, including those of their spouses and dependent children. Any gifts received must be reported within 48 hours, and the EACC will maintain comprehensive gift registers for accountability.
The law also bars public officers from holding employment or owning business interests in entities that contract with the government. Under the law, investigations into conflict of interest cases must now be concluded within 90 days, preventing indefinite probes while balancing fairness and enforcement.
President Ruto’s Earlier Reservations
President Ruto had initially refused to sign an earlier version of the bill in April 2025, arguing that it was too weak and failed to meet constitutional standards for transparency and accountability.
Civil society and lawmakers had also warned that the Senate’s amendments diluted key provisions, including access to information and EACC’s enforcement powers. After mediation and revisions, the strengthened law not only restores EACC’s authority but also closes significant loopholes that previously allowed officials to use proxies to benefit from government contracts.
By addressing both the prevention and enforcement aspects of conflicts of interest, the law aims to restore public trust and set a new standard for ethical governance in the country.
Wider Implications
The Bill at the time was the key hurdle that denied Kenya a US$750.0 million loan from the World Bank in 2024/25 after the lender expressed reservations on Kenya’s public service corruption.
Its passage is expected to unlock a delayed KSh 97 billion World Bank loan for 2025/26, which was tied to Kenya enacting robust anti-corruption legislation. The expected loan will be critical given Kenya’s uncertain external financing landscape in the financial year just started.
