Kenya, Aug. 19 -- President William Ruto has created a new team called the Multi-Agency Team (MAT) to fight corruption in Kenya. This announcement came just days after he warned government officials who are involved in corruption.

The MAT consists of 11 important government organizations that usually work on their own. The team will be led by the Office of the President.

The members of this team include the Executive Office of the President (which will be the leader), the Office of the Attorney General (which will act as the secretary), the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), the Asset Recovery Agency (ARA), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

Additional agencies may join the team if needed.

President Ruto emphasized that independent organizations must improve their efforts to meet the expectations of the Kenyan people. He warned that corruption is hurting the country by taking away resources and public trust.

The money to support this team will come from the budgets of its member organizations, with possibilities for extra funding. The Attorney General's office will help coordinate legal matters, while the Office of the President will oversee the team's operations.

The MAT aims to work better together, share information, gather resources, create public awareness about corruption, and collaborate with international partners to find and recover stolen money.

Last week, Ruto accused some government officials and lawmakers of being involved in corruption and called for a zero-tolerance approach. While speaking at the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, he stated that no one would be protected from facing consequences for corruption.

He also expressed concerns about bribery in Parliament, claiming that some Members of Parliament (MPs) took money to vote against a law aimed at preventing money laundering. He asked them directly about this issue during a joint meeting.

Moreover, Ruto questioned how some county officials have large amounts of money that they cannot explain. He pointed out, "How does someone come to have Sh150 million? Is that really their money? That should belong to the county."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.