This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
June 18, 2020
Corruption has become a perpetual challenge for Kenya, with the government's inability to address the issue resulting in a cycle of theft from the public.
While the government makes commitments to deal with corruption, the cases are rarely pursued to their logical end, and few individuals have been held accountable for their actions.
Moreover, the culture of stealing extends beyond government resources, with loans and grants from donors being misused, leaving the public to foot the bill.
A recent report by the World Bank highlighted how billions of shillings in grants earmarked for health and education were squandered by government officials and non-governmental organizations.
The audit details revealed that the culprits had exploited the lengthy audit process to escape detection, raising concerns about the capacity of the bank's local office to detect irregularities.
The serial occurrence of such cases and the lethargy in taking action are disturbing, with the Health ministry recently being in the spotlight for misuse of Sh1.3 billion from the World Bank.
Given Kenya's history of misusing public funds, there is every reason to fear that the bulk of the money may not be put to proper use.
Therefore, the World Bank should provide the Kenya Government with details of the investigations to facilitate further probes locally, and the bank should also conduct a self-audit to determine if its systems are porous.
