County staff demand hefty bribes for jobs and tenders

County officials are demanding hefty bribes in exchange for services, an audit report shows, raising concern about the positive impact of devolution.

A report on the economic cost of the 2010 Constitution compiled by a team led by Auditor- General Edward Ouko shows citizens are asked to pay up to Sh11,611 for public services.

Mombasa County officials top the list of bribe-seekers followed by Embu, Isiolo and Vihiga.

“On average, service-seekers paid the largest amount of bribe amounting to Sh11,611 in Mombasa County to access public services,” says the report compiled between August 2014 and September 2016.

Embu and Isiolo workers asked for an average bribe of Sh11, 500 and Sh10, 000, respectively, says the study.

Devolution, which took effect after the 2013 elections, is aimed at improving access to public services. Kenya has 47 counties headed by a governor, an elective post.

The report identifies employment as the area where bribe-taking was rife at 40 per cent followed by procurement at 32 per cent and award of educational bursaries at 10 per cent.

In counties residents struggle to struggle raise the basic Sh200 ($2) per day for subsistence, meaning that the bulk of residents were unlikely to get services, barred by a high hurdle of bribes.

Marsabit County officials ask for an average of Sh6,500 as bribes while their Wajir counterparts demand Sh5,515, the report indicates.

In Nairobi, the figure is Sh3,124, showing the positive results of civic awareness and high education standards among residents.

Generally, officials of all the county governments are likely to demand a bribe with Nyamira, West Pokot and Taita Taveta counties asking for Sh1,580, Sh1,313 and Sh1,300 respectively.

The audit shows that cost of political representation alone has ballooned 115 times — from Sh200 million under the old Constitution to Sh23 billion — due to devolved governance structures.

The demand for bribes, a bloated wage bill, increased wastage of public resources and unregulated borrowing at the county level have piled more cost pressure on the tax payers.

In spite of the mechanisms put in place to secure transparency and accountability for county finance management, the counties are far from compliance, says the report.

Economic liberation

Mr Ouko said the wastage is now an economic concern at the devolved units which were expected to be the leaders in regional economic liberation but was increasingly becoming a burden.

“The Constitution and enabling laws provide for the enforcement of transparency and accountability in the management of public resources. The capacity of counties to operate effective financial management systems, and adopt the principles of transparency and accountability in their operations has raised concern,” reads the report.

“The concern is particularly around the flagrant expenses of County Assemblies, misuse and misapplication of resources by county executives, and non-adherence to public procurement laws,” read the audit.