Kenya may soon enforce stricter rules on vetting state and public office nominees if a new Bill before Parliament is passed.
The Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, sponsored by Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo, seeks to impose fines of up to Sh5 million, a jail term of five years, or both, on nominees who provide false or misleading declarations of wealth.
The proposed law is intended to seal loopholes in the current system, where nominees often present unverifiable figures on their assets, income, and liabilities. Under the Bill, all nominees would be required to submit a comprehensive statement of income, assets, and liabilities, supported by certified documents.
This includes an accountant’s certificate issued under the Accountants Act and a valuation report from a registered valuer under the Valuers Act. Professionals who knowingly endorse false information will also face legal consequences.
In addition, nominees must disclose deferred income or expected benefits such as pending contracts, anticipated earnings from past engagements, and all income received in the previous and current calendar years. Asset declarations will cover land, houses, vehicles, jewellery, precious metals, bank deposits, shares, bonds, and mutual funds, while liabilities such as loans, mortgages, unpaid taxes, and other obligations must also be listed.
“People keep on lying during vetting. They overstate their wealth to leave room for stealing,” MP Oundo said. “All we need are verifiable documents of all the wealth they own, including assets and liabilities.”
Currently, the vetting process involves the Clerk of the National Assembly requesting reports from agencies such as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
This Bill marks Parliament’s second attempt to strengthen vetting laws. The 12th Parliament extended the vetting period from 14 to 28 days but rejected proposals to enforce higher academic qualifications for Cabinet Secretary nominees and to allow investigative agencies to question them directly.
If adopted, the new law will make it more difficult for nominees to use unverified wealth declarations to secure approval, closing key gaps in Kenya’s vetting process.
