The move by the Ombudsman with support from government to suspend some civil servants who failed to declare their wealth on time is a re-affirmation of government’s zero tolerance policy on corruption.

On Christmas Day, fifty six senior government officials were suspended for either failing to declare or under-declaring their assets during this year.

The battle against corruption has seen many senior government officials arrested and later prosecuted for cases related to embezzlement as well as failure to account for state resources.

Though we cannot entirely pass a judgment on these suspended officials as corrupt individuals, we can laud the move basing on the fact that these officials violated the Leadership Code.

The law is clear. By June 30th of each year, senior-level civil servants must declare their assets and liabilities to the Office of the Ombudsman.

It’s a pity that even after pushing this deadline for months, some officials remained adamant and failed to comply even after the deadline was extended. 

The idea behind these declarations is to strengthen the fight against corruption by ensuring accountability and transparency within government structures.

Therefore, any leader who fails to declare their wealth without any reasonable cause commits a breach of law and punitive measures must be taken.

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