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Graft: Narc
yet to clean up act
Story by MUGUMO MUNENE
Publication Date: 10/19/2005
Kenya has been ranked among the
world's 20 most corrupt nations.
According to a report released
yesterday by a global anti-graft watchdog, this was an indication
that the fight against corruption had stagnated.
Transparency International said
Kenya's problem lay in the unresolved procurement scandals that
involved top-level government officials.
"This statement is made in
relation to the potential loss of billions of shillings in the
Anglo Leasing scandal, the largest single contributor to the
country's negative image," said Mr Mwalimu Mati, the
executive director of Transparency International Kenya chapter.
According to him, foreign investors
were yet to see the fruits of anti-corruption institutions which
were set up in the last two years.
"We still have not managed to
convince the international community that these organisations are
effective in the fight against corruption," Mr Mati said.
"Prosecution and punishment should be visible."
Kenya was ranked 144th alongside
Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was way below
Tanzania in the 88th position and Uganda at number 117.
Chad was the world's most corrupt
nation while Botswana was Africa's best, ranking at position 32
globally.
"Kenya has a lower rating than
the continent's average. Our interpretation is that the fight
against corruption has stagnated," Mr Mati said.
Nigeria, which was ranked poorly in
the past, has now improved after President Olusegun Obasanjo
helped to trace the looted Abacha billions and his recent sacking
of Nigeria's commissioner of police and Education minister over
corruption claims.
The Corruption Perception Index (CPI)
ranked countries in terms of the degree to which corruption was
perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. It
focused on cases where public office was abused for private gain.
The report reflected the views of business people, analysts and
experts in the countries evaluated.
According to the 2005 report, Kenya
made an improvement in 2004 compared to 2003 but has remained at
the same position as it was last year. The organisation said that
although Kenya was among the first nations to sign the UN
convention against corruption, nothing had been done to enact laws
to make the convention effective.
The convention, which will enter
into force in December 2005, will speed the retrieval of stolen
funds, push banks to take action against money laundering, allow
nations to pursue foreign companies and individuals who have
committed corrupt acts on their soils and prohibit bribery of
foreign public officials.
More than two-thirds of the 159
nations surveyed this year scored less than five out of 10,
indicating serious levels of corruption.
"Wealthier countries, apart
from facing numerous corruption cases within their own borders,
must share the burden of ensuring that their companies are not
involved in corrupt practices abroad," said TI's global chief
executive David Nussbaum in London.
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