Post by Onyango Oloo on Oct 18, 2005 20:46:16 GMT 3
ww1.transparency.org/cpi/2005/cpi2005_infocus.html
Executive Director of Transparency International, Kenya, Mwalimu Mati (right) and Communications Programme Manager Noelina Nabwire display copies of Corruption Perceptions Index Report during its launch on October 18, 2005 at their Nairobi offices.— Picture by Kenya Times Photographer
Kenya Losing War on Graft, says TI report
By Benson Amollo, Kenya Times
KENYA appears to be losing war against corruption with the country’s perception index continuing on a downward trend, Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2005 report, has indicated.
In a survey conducted by TI in a total of 159 countries worldwide, Kenya is ranked 144th with an index score of 2.1, behind 36 African countries including Robert Mugabe’s debt-ridden Zimbabwe, which has slipped from the good books of the West.
The country has dropped from position 129 it recorded in a similar survey conducted last year with the same index score of 2.1. to the 144th positions. That means 15 countries have overtaken Kenya in the war against corruption. Last year Kenya posted the same perceptual performance with Cameroon, Iraq and Pakistan but all of which have improved.
Now, countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, which performed worse than Kenya in 2004, have posted better performance, now tying at position 144.
Globally, Iceland has ousted Finland, taking the first position with a score of 9.7 up from 9.5 it posted last year, behind Finland, New Zealand, Denmark.
Within East Africa, the Kenya lags behind both Tanzania and Uganda who have a performance indices of 2.9 and 2.5 respectively. In the continent, Botswana takes the lead as the most graft free state by perceptions with an index of 5.9. Tunisia comes second at 4.9, followed by South Africa with a score of 4.5, then Namibia at 4.3. Releasing the report in nairobi yesterday, TI’s Executive Director, Mwalimu mati, attributed the country’s lacklustre performance as perceived by the international community, to the government’s inability to execute a purge on big time corruption scandals.
He said the government’s failure to prosecute cases related to the passport deal scandal, the Anglo-leasing and other corruption cases in government especially related to procurement, has cost it International image.
Although the government boasts of a steadfast track on graft through the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, Mati said it has been done with sheer lack of seriousness. He said that despite investigations into scandals like the Goldenberg and procurement scandals that saw procurement officers dismissed in 2003, the government was yet to take serious steps on the findings. “We must see action. People must be prosecuted in cases of Anglo-leasing and other scandals and asset recovery must be made real like it has been done in Nigeria. People involved in graft must be sacked,” said Mati.
The revelations by the report comes at a time when politicians are embroiled in a litany of accusations and counter-accusations linking each other to corruption as the Draft campaign goes on
Planning and National Development Minister, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o has linked his cabinet colleagues Amos Kimunya (Lands) John Michuki (Internal Security), Dr Chris Murungaru (Transport) and David Mwiraria (Finance) to the Anglo-Leasing scandal and that he has evidence to that effect.
The annual survey, that measures levels of corruption in the public sector and politics, as perceived by business people and risk analysts, places Kenya in an akwards situation especially at a time when tensions are high over the constitutional referendum slated for November.
Mati said that with the deterioration of the country’s perception index on corruption, investors were more likely to shy away from putting their money in the country.
In the eyes of the International Investment Community, nothing has changed. In fact, the prospects are so low and most people will obviously ignore the country as an investment destination. The international community is not persuaded that corruption is being tackled.”
The report, however, casts a dark shadow at the government’s performance ahead of the constitutional vote, especially as demonstrated in concessions extended to a select communities by President Mwai Kibaki.
Over the last two weeks, the President has resettled evictees from lands marked as public property and created six more districts, a move believed to be a strategy to woo voters in this era into supporting the Draft constitution at the referendum.
Other African countries that have floored Kenya, include Mauritius, Seychelles, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Lesotho, Morocco, Senegal, Rwanda, Gabon, Mali, Tanzania, Algeria, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Gambia, Swaziland, Eritrea, Libya, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and DRC, among others.
The Best and the Worst
5 least corrupt states: Iceland, Finland, New Zealand, Denmark and Singapore.
5 most corrupt states: Chad, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Burma, Haiti
Source: Transparency International.
Executive Director of Transparency International, Kenya, Mwalimu Mati (right) and Communications Programme Manager Noelina Nabwire display copies of Corruption Perceptions Index Report during its launch on October 18, 2005 at their Nairobi offices.— Picture by Kenya Times Photographer
Kenya Losing War on Graft, says TI report
By Benson Amollo, Kenya Times
KENYA appears to be losing war against corruption with the country’s perception index continuing on a downward trend, Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2005 report, has indicated.
In a survey conducted by TI in a total of 159 countries worldwide, Kenya is ranked 144th with an index score of 2.1, behind 36 African countries including Robert Mugabe’s debt-ridden Zimbabwe, which has slipped from the good books of the West.
The country has dropped from position 129 it recorded in a similar survey conducted last year with the same index score of 2.1. to the 144th positions. That means 15 countries have overtaken Kenya in the war against corruption. Last year Kenya posted the same perceptual performance with Cameroon, Iraq and Pakistan but all of which have improved.
Now, countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, which performed worse than Kenya in 2004, have posted better performance, now tying at position 144.
Globally, Iceland has ousted Finland, taking the first position with a score of 9.7 up from 9.5 it posted last year, behind Finland, New Zealand, Denmark.
Within East Africa, the Kenya lags behind both Tanzania and Uganda who have a performance indices of 2.9 and 2.5 respectively. In the continent, Botswana takes the lead as the most graft free state by perceptions with an index of 5.9. Tunisia comes second at 4.9, followed by South Africa with a score of 4.5, then Namibia at 4.3. Releasing the report in nairobi yesterday, TI’s Executive Director, Mwalimu mati, attributed the country’s lacklustre performance as perceived by the international community, to the government’s inability to execute a purge on big time corruption scandals.
He said the government’s failure to prosecute cases related to the passport deal scandal, the Anglo-leasing and other corruption cases in government especially related to procurement, has cost it International image.
Although the government boasts of a steadfast track on graft through the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, Mati said it has been done with sheer lack of seriousness. He said that despite investigations into scandals like the Goldenberg and procurement scandals that saw procurement officers dismissed in 2003, the government was yet to take serious steps on the findings. “We must see action. People must be prosecuted in cases of Anglo-leasing and other scandals and asset recovery must be made real like it has been done in Nigeria. People involved in graft must be sacked,” said Mati.
The revelations by the report comes at a time when politicians are embroiled in a litany of accusations and counter-accusations linking each other to corruption as the Draft campaign goes on
Planning and National Development Minister, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o has linked his cabinet colleagues Amos Kimunya (Lands) John Michuki (Internal Security), Dr Chris Murungaru (Transport) and David Mwiraria (Finance) to the Anglo-Leasing scandal and that he has evidence to that effect.
The annual survey, that measures levels of corruption in the public sector and politics, as perceived by business people and risk analysts, places Kenya in an akwards situation especially at a time when tensions are high over the constitutional referendum slated for November.
Mati said that with the deterioration of the country’s perception index on corruption, investors were more likely to shy away from putting their money in the country.
In the eyes of the International Investment Community, nothing has changed. In fact, the prospects are so low and most people will obviously ignore the country as an investment destination. The international community is not persuaded that corruption is being tackled.”
The report, however, casts a dark shadow at the government’s performance ahead of the constitutional vote, especially as demonstrated in concessions extended to a select communities by President Mwai Kibaki.
Over the last two weeks, the President has resettled evictees from lands marked as public property and created six more districts, a move believed to be a strategy to woo voters in this era into supporting the Draft constitution at the referendum.
Other African countries that have floored Kenya, include Mauritius, Seychelles, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Lesotho, Morocco, Senegal, Rwanda, Gabon, Mali, Tanzania, Algeria, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Gambia, Swaziland, Eritrea, Libya, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and DRC, among others.
The Best and the Worst
5 least corrupt states: Iceland, Finland, New Zealand, Denmark and Singapore.
5 most corrupt states: Chad, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Burma, Haiti
Source: Transparency International.