Do public officers have to declare their wealth?
Conflict of Interest Act 2025 · sources read 4 Oct 2026
Yes. Every public officer must declare their income, assets and liabilities, and those of their spouse and children under 18: within 30 days of starting, once every two years (in December), and within 30 days of leaving office.
- Deadline
- Initial declaration: within 30 days of appointment.
- Deadline
- Every two years: as at 1 November, filed in December.
- Deadline
- Final declaration: within 30 days of leaving office.
- Where
- The officer's responsible Commission (for example PSC, TSC, JSC, a County Public Service Board); complaints to the EACC
Steps
- Each officer declares to the Commission responsible for them. For example, judges and magistrates declare to the Judicial Service Commission.
- Principal secretaries declare to the Public Service Commission.
- Registered teachers declare to the Teachers Service Commission.
- County staff hired and disciplined by a County Public Service Board declare to that Board.
- To see someone's declaration, apply to their responsible Commission and show a legitimate interest and good cause.
- If you believe an officer has broken the Act, you can complain to their reporting authority or to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Watch out
- Failing to declare on time is an offence.
- Giving false or misleading information is also an offence.
- Late and false declarations carry the Act's general penalty, because those sections set no penalty of their own.
- The penalty can be a fine of up to KSh 4 million, up to 10 years in prison, or both.
Who this covers
- Every public officer.
- The declaration also covers the officer's spouse and dependent children under 18.
Official sources (2)
- Conflict of Interest Act, 2025 (No. 11 of 2025) new.kenyalaw.org · read 3 Oct 2026
- The Conflict of Interest Act, 2025 (No. 11 of 2025), Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 131 (Acts No. 11), 5 August 2025 eacc.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026