Kenya has enacted the new Conflict of Interest Act, 2025, hailed by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as a crucial step against graft. The legislation, signed by President William Ruto on July 30, 2025, aims to close corruption loopholes and strengthen public service accountability.

• The new law replaces the old Public Officer Ethics Act, empowering the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) with greater oversight.
• President William Ruto emphasized that the Act makes it "much more difficult for people to take advantage of the offices they occupy."
• Public officers, their spouses, and dependents must now declare income, assets, and debts every two years, with the EACC able to initiate forfeiture of undeclared assets.

President William Ruto has signed two landmark bills into law: the Social Protection Bill 2025 and the Conflict of Interest Bill 2023. The Social Protection Bill significantly expands social welfare coverage, providing monthly stipends to more vulnerable Kenyans, while the Conflict of Interest Bill enhances accountability and ethical conduct among public officers.

• The Social Protection Bill 2025 broadens coverage beyond the elderly, orphans, and persons with severe disabilities to include individuals facing extreme poverty, disasters, job loss, pandemics, and other economic shocks.
• A National Board for Social Protection will oversee digitized registration and benefit distribution, replacing the old physical application system.
• The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) gains an expanded role in enforcing conflict-of-interest provisions.
• The Conflict of Interest Bill mandates a broader category of public officials, including county assembly members, county officers, and top judicial figures like the Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, to declare income, assets, and liabilities.

On Wednesday, President William Ruto assented to the Conflict of Interest Bill at State House Nairobi, making it law. This legislation aims to combat corruption by establishing clear rules for public officers, ensuring integrity, transparency, and accountability in the use of public resources.

• The new law consolidates conflict of interest provisions, repealing the Public Officer Ethics Act and empowering the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to oversee its implementation, including wealth declaration for all public officers across the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary.
• The legislation prohibits preferential treatment, external influence in contracts, and secondary employment that undermines official duties.
• President Ruto also signed the Social Protection Bill into law, which strengthens government responsibility and establishes a rights-based framework for supporting vulnerable Kenyans.