President Mwai Kibaki: Succesful crusade against corruption

© Kenyan govt / afrol News

afrol News, 25 February - One year after the new Kenyan government introduced its crusade against corruption, a review registers less bribes in most government offices. However, the Kenyan Immigration Department and police are still observed to be pervaded by corrupt practices.

The Kenya chapter of the corruption watchdog Transparency International this week presented its newest annual 'Bribery Index', which concluded on mixed results of the government's anti-corruption efforts. According to the report, Kenya's Immigration Department and police are still the country's most corrupt offices, with respect to bribery.

In general, however, the report found a "very significant decrease of bribery from 2002." The percentage of encounters between the general public and government offices in which bribes were demanded or offered had declined from 65 to 40 percent.

During the year reviewed, the so-called "bribery tax" or cost of bribery to each and every Kenyan thus was reported to have declined significantly, from an average of 3905 shillings per person per month reported in 2002, to 1261 shillings per person per month. The cost reduction had been most significant in rural areas, counting on an 80 percent decrease.

This reduction in the cost of bribery to citizens had happened due to the payment of fewer bribes, the study found. While the average Kenyan in 2002 had paid almost 30 bribes, in 2003 he or she paid almost 10 bribes to state officials.

Further, the report concludes that this trend not only suggests a significant reduction in petty bribery, but is also "consistent with the perception of increased likelihood of being punished if caught." Nevertheless, reporting to the authorities occurred in only 4 percent of the instances, and most of these intents to denounce bribery had failed.

Certainly, all is not well in Kenyan public offices. Some 90 percent of people seeking assistance from the Immigration Department are still asked to pay a bribe, the study found. Further, about 82 percent of people dealing with the police are still asked to pay a bribe to receive service or to avoid paying a penalty, Transparency Kenya found.

The two government offices - the most corrupt in Kenya - nevertheless had registered improvements during 2003, the report found. In 2002, bribery had been close to universal. Some 94 percent of people seeking assistance from the Immigration Department and almost 97 percent of Kenyans dealing with the police had to deal with bribery.

According to Transparency Kenya, the survey's "overall results provide strong indication that the government's campaign against corruption has had a significant positive impact on the vulnerability of ordinary citizens to corruption, and petty bribery in particular." The survey however had not captured corruption at the higher levels and could not conclude on this sector.

For once, the annual 'Kenya Bribery Index' was well received by the Nairobi government. John Githongo, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Governance and Ethics in the Office of the President in a statement said his office "welcomed" the publication.

Mr Githongo said that the government was "gratified by the report's conclusion" on an overall decline in bribery. The government spokesman in particular lauded "those institutions that have registered significant improvements," notably the Ministry of Health, Other Local Authorities, the Immigration Department, Public Hospitals, the Registrar of Persons and the Judiciary.

Nevertheless, said Mr Githongo, the Kenyan Presidency also acknowledged "the critical areas of concern highlighted by this report." He added that the government recognised that "real transformation can only be sustainable if based on fundamental changes in the values and attitudes of all citizens towards corruption."

- Indeed, it is to this end that the government has initiated a nationwide campaign to evolve a mature anti-corruption culture and to ensure all stakeholders and citizens are effectively and meaningfully involved in rooting out corruption from our society, said the government spokesman.

By staff writers

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