Kenyan graft on the up-and-up
2006-05-29 22:08
Nairobi - Incidents of petty bribery in Kenya increased last year, despite repeated government pledges to eradicate it and rein in rampant corruption.
Nearly half of all consumer transactions with Kenyan public and private officials in 2005 involved a bribe, up sharply from the previous year, said the Kenyan chapter of the global graft watchdog, Transparency International, on Monday.
The organisations annual Kenya Bribery Index surveyed 2&nbs;405 people in the country about their dealings with government.
"The survey respondents encountered bribery in close to half - 47% - of their interactions with officials, both public and private, compared to 34% in 2004.
"The number of bribes paid doubled from 0.54 bribes per person - one bribe for every two people - in 2004, to 1.2 bribes per person," read the report.
At the same time, the average size of the bribes decreased from the equivalent of $69 to $24.
The annual report ranks 33 public and private agencies in Kenya for their employees involvement in corruption.
Once again, Kenya Police was at the top of the list - responsible for 46% of all bribes reported.
Other government service providers - hospitals, schools and utility companies - accounted for 26% of reported bribes. Regulatory agencies accounted for 20%.
The report was released as Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's government struggles with two massive corruption scandals.
The scandals have forced the resignation of three government ministers and sparked public outrage.
Donors have been highly critical of the government for failing to deal with the two scams.
There have been no high-level prosecutions, despite credible allegations against several current and former senior officials.