afrol News, 11 December - The British government has issued a travel ban to more than 20 Kenyan citizens accused of corruption, and frozen funding for the ministry of education over the disappearance of US$1.3 million.

The Head of Department for International Development (DFID) Alistair Fernie said the withdrawal would affect Kenyan children and asked the government to conduct audits to establish how the money disappeared.

He blamed the ministries of Education and Finance over the missing cash and added that funding would only continue after the money was accounted for.

According to local reports, the names of the alleged suspects have not been made public but they are thought to include senior civil servants, politicians and businessmen.

Reports said Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) had dropped its investigations earlier this year into the "Anglo-Leasing" affair, in which contracts worth some $100m were awarded to firms which did not exist.

The SFO said it was dropping the case because of a lack of co-operation from Kenyan agencies.

The US has recently banned some Kenyan officials from traveling to the country, accusing them of blocking political reforms after deadly post-election violence in 2008.

The coalition government formed after the deadly violence that followed disputed 2007 elections has pledged to end the culture of impunity in the country and implement sweeping reforms but little has been forthcoming.

President Mwai Kibaki was first elected in 2002 on a pledge to end corruption but his government has since been accused of lacking the political will to tackle corruption.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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