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A section of Members of Parliament (MPs) wants the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) to be held accountable for the country's fake fertilizer distribution saga.
Gladys Boss Shollei, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, stressed the need for public sector professionals to assume personal responsibility.
“The buck will stop with KEBS. KEBS is in charge of quality infrastructure in the country. We will have a lot of fake things if KEBS doesn't do its job,” she said.
“And to say an official at KEBS has been called, what we must make sure is officials take personal responsibility.”
Shollei stated that officials cannot use the pretext of being intimidated by higher authorities. She said that there should be avenues for reporting such acts.
“In fact, the officials at KEBS should not just be charged or investigated. They should get summary dismissal, meaning they don't get a third of their salaries. So that if any other person is threatened to approve something, they will know that they will lose their jobs," she said.
“They must have systems of being able to report that they are being threatened. In the past, I've seen KEBS officials declining to approve something so they can't use that as an excuse. If every public service official acts because of threats and not professionalism, they have no business holding those positions." she added.
She said the fake fertilizer should not be taken lightly since Kenya may become food insecure next year.
Robert Mbui, the National Assembly's Deputy Minority Leader, was also present at the meeting, emphasizing the need for senior officials to take responsibility.