This archive report was first published on 7 July 2020.
July 7, 2020
As a long and laborious war on several fronts, every battle won is one more step in the right direction. The conviction of Sirisia MP John Waluke and his business associate Grace Wakhungu for corruption on June 22 sent positive shockwaves across the country.
For many Kenyans, the case was a welcome surprise, as the cynics were proved wrong. The lengthy prison sentences and hefty fines meted out on the two, along with the horror on their faces, went viral.
However, the big question remains: whether we will see more convictions. I suspect we will. The number of high-profile cases lined up in the courts are plentiful, and even by the law of averages, more cases are being heard and more convictions will be made.
The judicial system's slothful pace remains a challenge, but it has improved marginally. Technology is gradually infiltrating the system, and long-hand transcribing will slowly become a thing of the past.
What comes out clearly in the Waluke-Wakhungu case is that serious legwork was done by the office of the DPP and others. Investigations had to be undertaken in South Africa to ascertain and prove that much of the purported maize deal was actually false or not even there.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is becoming more organised and aggressive. The cases against Sonko and Co. are moving along, and it appears a lot of homework has been and is being done, and interesting ammunition being collected.
Of course, we would want to see more happening faster, but at least there's movement and a CEO trying to speed it up. We want to see more and more resources, money, and energy going into such set-ups so the capacity can be built and the amount of work done increased.
Corruption, economic crime, fraud, and their other stable mates are evolving all the time and becoming more complex, sophisticated, and devious. That means investigators must become better trained and more intrepid and keep catching up with the latest techniques as well as technology.
Having a close and good working relationship with those around the world who are the pioneers and leaders in anti-crime technology is crucial. Everybody in the chain - prosecutors, lawmakers, and the Judiciary - must be up to speed on this fast-moving and changing industry called crime and criminal technology.
There is a long way to go, but compared to a year ago, there is more evidence that the talk is being walked. There may not be dramatic breakthroughs, but progress there is. The challenge now is to critically evaluate where the weak links are and what is needed and to work on and eliminate them.
Mr Shaw is a public policy and economic analyst.
