governance

Calls Mount for Urgent action to Combat Corruption in Kenya

A recent town hall session revealed growing frustration with Kenya’s justice system and a renewed push for comprehensive anti-corruption measures. EACC Chairperson David Oginde voiced widespread public disillusionment stemming from lengthy delays in the prosecution of high-profile corruption suspects. He stated that the lack of progress fuels corruption and argued that dedicated anti-corruption courts nationwide are crucial to delivering justice, dismissing resource constraints as masking a lack of political will.Oginde highlighted the recently enacted Conflict of Interest Act as a notable step forward, particularly in addressing corruption within counties where politically connected individuals have allegedly used shell companies to secure government contracts. The Act aims to eliminate loopholes allowing public officials and their families to profit from business dealings with the institutions they oversee, a practice identified as a major source of lost public funds.

The law also empowers the EACC to conduct bi-annual wealth audits, requiring individuals to explain significant increases in their assets. Any unexplained wealth will be forfeited to the state; such as,if an official’s wealth increases from Sh300 million to Sh3 billion within three years,they must account for the difference.

Currently, Kenya only has two anti-corruption courts, both located in Nairobi. Expansion plans have been hampered by budgetary limitations, contributing to the backlog of unprosecuted cases. The EACC, alongside the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) and the National taxpayers Association (NTA), are urgently requesting funding to recruit judges, magistrates, and investigators to staff these specialized courts.

ICPAK Chairperson Elizabeth Kalunda pointed to weak accounting practices as a contributing factor to Kenya’s financial challenges. She advocated for a transition from cash-based to accrual accounting to address the misuse of “pending bills” – a system that has tied up billions of shillings in unpaid obligations, crippling businesses, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Accrual accounting, she believes, will instill financial discipline and prevent the abuse of this system.The NTA, led by CEO Patrick Nyangweso, attributed resistance to crucial reforms like e-procurement to entrenched political interests protecting corruption cartels. The implementation of the e-government Procurement (EGP) platform is expected to standardize pricing and eliminate ghost suppliers, preventing inflated contracts.Nyangweso emphasized that without political goodwill, even the best systems will fail, and warned that Kenyans are losing patience with the slow pace of justice. He cited examples of price discrepancies, such as a chair being purchased for Sh20,000 by one ministry and Sh200,000 by another, as evidence of the need for openness.

All three institutions jointly called for specialized corruption courts with strict timelines for case resolution, believing that speed and certainty are vital to restoring public trust and attracting investment.

Analysts warn that Kenya’s economy, already burdened by debt and inflation, risks losing crucial investor inflows if the government doesn’t translate its anti-corruption rhetoric into concrete action. The calls for reform reflect growing frustration among civil society, professional groups, and taxpayers who identify corruption as the primary obstacle to Kenya’s long-term stability.