President Ruto refers Conflict of Interest of Bill back to Parliament
He wants the Bill to set a high standard for accountability, integrity and anti-corruption measures
President William Ruto has referred back the Conflict of Interest Bill to Parliament for reconsideration.
This, despite the president urging the National Assembly to pass the Bill without delay. On Thursday, President Ruto, however, made it clear that he would veto any version of the Bill that failed to set a high standard for accountability, integrity and anti-corruption measures.
While the Bill as presented largely addresses the subject of conflict of interest, the President noted the need and urgency for further improvements and consultations to strengthen its provisions on transparency and enforcement to align it with the constitutional values of integrity and good governance.
“Consequently, in accordance with Article 115 of the Constitution, President Ruto has referred the Bill back to Parliament, with a memorandum, for reconsideration,” a statement from State House said.
The Bill seeks to prevent public officials from using their position to influence the decision of other public officers so as to further their private interests or the interests of another person.
It also seeks to impose stringent sanctions against government officials found culpable of engaging in government business to amass ill-gotten wealth. The piece of legislation includes several critical clauses that public officials must adhere to, ensuring a clear separation between their official duties and private interests.
At the same time, the President assented to the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which amends the Excise Duty, CAP 472, to remove the 25 per cent duty on imported fully assembled electric transformers and their parts.
This measure is expected to lower electricity connection costs for consumers by reducing the price of transformers, as every connection relies on transformer infrastructure. It will also help bring down electricity tariffs by cutting transformer replacement costs.
Additionally, it will enable Kenya Power to procure adequate transformers within its current budget, supporting a consistent power supply and minimizing disruptions.
