Senators Plan to Stop Governors, MCAs from Branding Projects with Their Images

Senators are now considering tightening the law to stop governors and MCAs from branding publicly funded projects with their names, images and political identities.

They are accusing the county leaders of turning public investments into personal political campaigns.

The development comes after the governors appeared to ignore warnings by Parliament that the practice is illegal.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said Parliament should strengthen existing laws to hold county leaders accountable for personalising projects financed through taxpayers’ money.

“Maybe they think the current laws we have are weak. We will tighten the laws so that we can see where they are running to,” Cherargei said.

He added; “You cannot publish your image and name on projects implemented by taxes paid by Kenyans.”

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka questioned the legal basis for the practice and whether the public is adequately involved in such decisions.

Onyonka cited Nyambera Park in Kisii, which he said had reportedly been branded Etaya Governor’s Park, using an alias associated with the sitting governor.

He petitioned the Senate’s Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations Committee to establish the legal and administrative basis for the branding of the facility and other county projects bearing the governor’s name.

“Concern has arisen over the practice of naming and branding county-funded projects after sitting governors,” he said.

He wants the committee to establish whether public facilities financed by taxpayers should carry the personal names, titles, political identities or party affiliations of sitting office holders.

The senator wants the committee to establish the names, locations and costs of county-funded projects branded after the governor, as well as the procedures used to authorise the naming.

He also wants clarification on whether the decisions were subjected to public participation and the relevant approval processes.

Onyonka further asked the committee to disclose the costs incurred in branding Nyambera Park and similar projects, including procurement procedures and the sources of funding used.

He questioned whether existing national laws and administrative guidelines adequately prevent the personalisation of public projects.

Onyonka said county projects should be identified and branded in a manner that recognises their public ownership, promotes accountability and prevents the impression that governors financed them personally.

Last year, the committee called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the branding of public assets by elected leaders.

The committee, chaired by Wajir Senator Mohamed Abass, made the recommendations following a petition by human rights activist Laban Omusundi, a Nakuru resident.

Omusundi had raised concerns over the widespread use of politicians’ portraits, names and images on publicly funded projects and government vehicles.

In its report, the committee said the practice contravened constitutional principles and laws governing the conduct of public officers.

“Public officers, including governors, MCAs and officials at the national and county levels, should strictly adhere to laws guiding the conduct of public officers,” the report shows.

The committee identified several legal frameworks that could be violated, including the constitution, the Public Service (Values and Principles) Act, 2015, the Public Officer Ethics Act and the Leadership and Integrity Act.

It argued that erecting signposts bearing politicians’ names and images amounts to the misuse of public funds by using government resources to advance personal interests.

The committee urged the EACC, in collaboration with the Auditor General and the Controller of Budget, to intensify monitoring, conduct investigations and recommend appropriate disciplinary action against officials involved in the practice.

It also asked the Auditor General to flag personal branding of public projects and government vehicles during audits, treating such cases as possible misuse of public resources for personal gain.

The report directed the EACC to provide, within 30 days, a status report on measures taken to stop public officers from branding public assets with their personal identifiers.

However, the recommendations have remained unimplemented, with the county bosses continuing to use their images and names on county projects.

The senators further urged county governments to develop clear signage guidelines to ensure that project boards display official information without attributing public investments to individual leaders.

“All signs should display only official project information, without attribution to individual leaders,” the report stated.