Kenya fights to break stranglehold of corruption

Despite reforms to combat fraudulent practices in government, citizens pay 16 bribes a month, says an international watchdog group.

Bribery is so rampant in Kenya, even merchants in vegetable markets resort to giving handouts to obtain a licence.

NAIROBI // Despite reforms over the past six years, Kenya continues to be one of the world's most corrupt countries, according to transparency watchdogs. For more than two decades, Daniel arap Moi, the former president who stepped down in 2002, embezzled millions from the nation's coffers. The new government, lead by Mwai Kibaki, has instituted various corruption fighting measures, including setting up an anti-corruption commission, yet Kenya still languishes near the bottom of lists of the world's most corrupt nations. On Transparency International's corruption perception index, Kenya ranks 150th out of 180 countries. "I think the state of corruption now and 10 years ago is the same, if not worse," said Job Ogonda, executive director of Transparency International's Kenya chapter. This week, three cabinet members and six members of parliament faced corruption charges. Even the perception that the politicians would be held accountable is a positive step, Mr Ogonda said, noting that 10 years ago the charges might not have surfaced. But he doubted whether the politicians would be found guilty in a justice system equally as corrupt as the political machine. "I don't think it will happen," Mr Ogonda said. "History has taught us to be extremely sceptical of attempts to bring our political leaders to justice." The politicians facing corruption charges include William Ruto, the agriculture minister and close ally of Raila Odinga, the prime minister. Mr Ruto is accused of selling a piece of land to a pipeline company and receiving a kickback. Ferdinard Waititu, a member of parliament, is accused of bribing a Nairobi commissioner to award a rubbish collection contract to a company he owns. Of Kenya's US$5 billion (Dh18.35bn) budget, about half is designated for contracted work such as construction projects, medical supplies and military equipment. Contractors and politicians have a cosy relationship, Mr Ogonda said, at the expense of the average Kenyan. "If a road company funded my election campaign, then I cannot hold that company accountable if they did something wrong," he said. "The citizen becomes subordinate to private interests in government." There are signs that corruption in Kenya is lessening. In June, Amos Kimunya, the former finance minister, was forced to resign his post after a corruption scandal involving the sale of Nairobi's Grand Regency Hotel. Anti-corruption watchdogs and even members of parliament called for Mr Kimunya's resignation after he negotiated a no-bid sale of the state-owned hotel to a group of Libyan investors at a price analysts said was grossly undervalued. Last month, John Githongo, the former anti-corruption tsar in Mr Kibaki's government, returned from three years of self-imposed exile to meet with political leaders. Mr Githongo, who founded Transparency International's Kenya chapter, resigned his position in 2005 and moved to the UK after receiving death threats. His brief visit to Kenya was seen by analysts as a victory for corruption fighters. Mr Githongo said he may return permanently to tackle corruption in Kenya. "I have unfinished business," he said in a press conference. "We need to fight corruption from within." Mr Githongo in 2005 blew the whistle on the so-called Anglo Leasing scandal in which state contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars were secretly awarded to phantom firms. Mr Githongo's leaked documents forced the resignation of several ministers. Mr Githongo said he supports a government plan to offer amnesty to the architects of past corruption in exchange for confessions and the return of stolen money. Other analysts insist that prosecution is the only deterrent to fighting corruption. "Prosecution is a blunt instrument in the fight against corruption," Mr Githongo said. "The corrupt always prefer to be prosecuted because they can hire lawyers." In Kenya, where the average citizen lives on $1 a day, the taxpayer is the biggest loser in corruption scandals, Mr Ogonda said. Government is more expensive to operate due to the layers of kickbacks and bribes, and corruption trickles down to lower level officials. The average Kenyan pays 16 bribes per month, the watchdog said. Police officers often stop motorists for made-up traffic violations demanding payment of a bribe. Even women who sell vegetables in local markets often must pay a bribe to obtain a licence, Mr Ogonda said. "The real tragedy is that the average Kenyan pays a greater proportion of his income to corruption," he said. "It's a violation of individual rights and a recipe for insecurity." [e-mail]