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• Fri Apr 18 2025

President William Ruto sent back the Conflict of Interest Bill 2025 to Parliament for further consideration

Ruto said he would veto any bill from Members of Parliament that does not meet the required standards

Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi said the bill delayed the World Bank disbursement of KSh 77.8 billion

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Kenya could wait for a while before receiving disbursement from the World Bank after President William Ruto rejected the Conflict of Interest Bill 2025.

President William Ruto reviewing the Conflict of Interest Bill 2025 at Statehouse, Nairobi. Photo: State House Kenya.

Source: Twitter

On Thursday, April 17, Ruto referred the bill back to Parliament for reconsideration, after it was presented for his assent.

Why Ruto returned bill to Parliament

The bill is expected to propose measures to fight graft, ensure accountable leadership and integrity in public service.

However, according to the head of state, the lawmakers failed to raise accountability, integrity, and anti-corruption standards.

Ruto said he would veto any bill that fails to meet the required standards.

"In my opinion, the Conflict of Interest Bill does not meet the threshold of the expectations of the people of Kenya," said Ruto.

Ruto noted that although the bill largely addresses the subject, it requires further improvements to strengthen its provisions on transparency and enforcement to align with the constitutional values of integrity and good governance.

What's the implication of returning bill to Parliament?

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi speaking at a past event. Photo: John Mbadi.

Source: Twitter

Earlier, Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi applauded Members of Parliament for passing the law.

"Remember this House and the Senate delayed in a way, but we thank you for now finally passing the Conflict of Interest Bill, which was a condition. Now that the bill has just been passed and we thank you for it. It is unlocking $600 million (KSh 77.8 billion)," said Mbadi during his address to Parliament on Wednesday, April 16.

Mbadi explained that the delays in the approval of the bill saw the World Bank delay its disbursement of KSh 77.8 billion.

"The World Bank could not give us money until that bill was passed. That bill is unlocking the money to us now," he said.

The Bretton Woods institution pushed the disbursement of the $600 million to June 2025, however, the money could be delayed further after Ruto referred the bill back to Parliament for improvement.

Which other funding was delayed?

The CS also noted that Kenya failed to receive $265 million (KSh 34.4 billion) from the African Development Bank (AfDB) on time.

However, after the lawmakers approved the bill, the lender agreed to disburse the money in the coming weeks.

Mbadi noted that mutual agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to forego the ninth review of a loan programme affected most of the funding the country was to get.

In March 2025, S&P Global Ratings pointed out that termination of the IMF programme could delay disbursements from other external lenders, like the World Bank and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke