Economy under threat as government loses fight against corruption

“The general feeling is that the government has lost the fight against corruption” says Mr William Cheptumo, the Assistant minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs “It’s the responsibility of the entire country including the private sector to fight corruption”.

However, KACC mandarins disagree, arguing that they have managed to prevent the loss of Sh5 billion annually through corruption.

“Through investigations and prosecutions we have managed to deter about 500 possible corruption cases annually. We have recovered grabbed access roads, beach plots and public utility plots that would have cost the country Sh5 billion annually,” says a report — Status of Anti Corruption Efforts in Kenya, presented at an anti-corruption forum in Nairobi last week.

Analysts say the drive for quick profits by the private sector has also given birth to mega-corruption scandals in the government as some unscrupulous business people induce contract awards by influencing civil servants.

Mr Vimal Shah, who heads the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, an umbrella organization of local manufacturers and private business organizations says civil servants alone cannot create corruption.

The private sector must also share the blame for increasing corruption in government.

“We cannot escape the blame. The private sector too must play a key role in fighting corruption” Mr Shah told a conference organized by the private sector in Nairobi to talk about corruption.

A damning report by global anti corruption watchdog Transparency International in 2009 said the private sector in Kenya paid bribes to influence public policy, laws and regulations.

Transparency International’s 2009 Global Corruption Barometer sent a powerful signal to the private sector to prove that they are running clean businesses but some analysts say weak regulations governing businesses in Kenya are the cause of corruption in the private sector.

On the cemetery saga, President Kibaki has already suspended 12 officials of the ministry of local government and KACC has launched investigations to determine if local government’s minister and Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi was culpable.

The FPE scandal saw Prof Karega Mutahi suspended as education ministry PS alongside several other officials.

“It is well beyond the scope of Kenyan taxpayers to put right our grossly under-funded, under-equipped, and under-established education sector without donor support. Hence, it is not acceptable that donors are withdrawing their critical financial support from our critically ill education sector simply because President Kibaki has refused to crack the whip on corrupt individuals” say civil society groups comprising the Centre for Law and Research International and Social Reform Centre.

The civil society is well aware that consumers of government service including school going children are the main victims of increased corruption at various government departments.

“Kenya’s education sector has suffered gross negligence and abuse and is critically ill. As a country, we need every cent we can get from wherever before we even begin to adequately address the huge challenges education faces in Kenya,” they say.

Education sector