Top 10 How to Prevent Corruption In Kenya

This paper deals with some of the genuine recommendations to combat or prevent corruption in Kenya. Corruption in any system or society depends on three factors. The first one is the set of individuals’ sense of values. The second one is a system of governance or administration and the last one is the set of social values.

Before we look at ways to stop corruption in Kenya government, let us know various forms of corruption as it often spread in the society or country in several forms.

Forms of Corruption

The major forms of corruption include:

  1. Bribe, which is money or cash offered as an inducement to procure dishonest or unscrupulous action in favor of the giver.
  2. Misappropriation, which involves using others’ money for one’s own case or interest
  3. Patronage, which is wrong support/encouragement given by the patron and thus misusing the position.
  4. Nepotism – undue favor from the holder of patronage to relatives.

How to fight Corruption in Kenya

  1. The citizens and stakeholder must fight corruption more strongly.

In the past, the perception was that a citizen will have to bribe a public servant if he wants to get a benefit which was illegal.

But today we have reached a stage where even if the legitimate requirements are satisfied, the citizens have to bribe the public servant. We should put into practice the advice about how we can resolve our problems by coming together.

  1. Stop family attachments in offices.

A family person feels that he should earn enough not only for himself and his lifetime but also for his children and grandchildren and perhaps seven generations. So a public officer requires an enormous accumulation of wealth. In this situation, a strong youth movement in the nation can help reduce corruption at the family level.

Each student should take a vow to begin this exercise courageously within the family. Fighting corruption will only be successful when everyone knows that no one is above the law.

If you want to fight Corruption in Kenya, you have to ensure that the rule applies to everyone and not to attach family relationships while fighting corruption in Kenya.

  1. Increase Transparency and Accountability

We have evolved in our country’s red tape-ridden elaborate system leading to enormous delays. This probably makes the common man consider paying bribes as ‘speed money’. So the system of governance should be changed.

Transparency should be a keyword in public offices. Technological development can be the best solution to prevent corruption in Kenya in this respect. Online transactions would reduce the need for citizens to visit public offices and government departments. This is one of the best ways of curbing corruption in Kenya. 

  1. The law enforcement authorities must perform their duties.

The only thing, which has to be ensured, is proper, impartial, and unbiased use of various anti-corruption Acts to take strong, deterrent prompt and timely legal action against the offenders, irrespective of their political connections, and money or muscle power.

Fast track judiciary courts to resolve the corruption-related cases may help in reducing the intensity of the problem.

  1. Simplified forms and procedures to reduce dependence of the users on intermediaries.

This will also minimize the Government-citizen interfaces and reduce the potential for corruption. Ensure that no one gets away with corruption by ensuring that there are simplified forms and procedures that the citizen can fill for anyone who is corrupt.

Full accessibility is required to increase competition in public procurement and foster the participation of all firms and businesses in public procurement.

Access is fostered by creating simplified forms and procedures to reduce the bureaucracy inherent in the tender process, streamlining the tender process, and cutting the cost of participation in public procurement.

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  1.  Practice A value-based leadership for effective governance.

Positive values like compassion, helping others, love, truthfulness etc. help to build and develop a society. Kenya should have leadership who are God-fearing both in politics, religion, science, industry, education, administration and practically in every sphere.

It also needs monitoring and oversight. Monitoring can take the form of audits, and transparency measures that provide the information needed to hold the public sector to accountable. 

  1. Implementation of policies like anti-poverty programmes

Only a small fraction of the benefit in these programmes accrues to the target population. There should be control check points to find out scope of corruption.

Strict measures should be taken against those enforcing programmes only with the intention to make money out of it. And every Civil servants found guilty of corruption must be sanctioned.

  1. Managing conflicts of interest

Good practices of organizations in the corporate sector and in government should be highlighted. Regulatory mechanisms should be strengthened.  For example, the accounting firms, many times act as consultants of the firm. This leads to a conflict of interest.

Perhaps one of the simplest things to do would be to prevent the auditing firm from doing consultancy for the same firms so that scam like the Enron, bitcoin and forex trades can be avoided.

An important feature of the Public Sector Enterprises was the vigilance function performed under the overall supervision of the Central Vigilance Commission. It is necessary to define the role of such authority after post-reforms and disinvestment policy.

  1. Protect whistleblowers

Ensure that informants who report corruption are protected from the consequences of revealing this information. Take a case where a senior government official reports on wrongdoing within his department.

When this person is not protected from the effects of this action, he will not report the corruption to you again. Other effective way of curtailing corruption could be to introduce a method that will enable political parties to secure electoral funds in a bonafide manner, or the central government may finance elections through an election fund. This system is being followed in Germany, Norway, Sweden, and some advanced countries of Europe.

  1. The media has to perform quite an active role in exposing causes of corruption.

It should not be just do the sting operations but also expose bad practices to the public, making them aware and compelling them to avoid such incidences in the future. The strategy of building public opinion against corruption can be effectively implemented through mass media.

FAQs

Why do we need to prevent corruption?

Corruption can lead to theft, wastage, and misuse of scarce resources. It can also entrench elite privilege and inequality, undermining institutions of accountability with lasting consequences

What Organisations deal with corruption in Kenya?

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) was established after Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki signed the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act on 29 August 2011. The EACC replaced the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC). The Anti-corruption authorities help fight corruption in different levels.

Last Verdict

There is no way out but to change the system if it is not value-based. The nation can only progress if there is good governance, there can be no good governance unless moral values are inculcated in the people.

Corruption is not only in Kenya, but it is a global phenomenon and hence fighting corruption both in Kenya and at the global level should be the first priority.

We can only fight corruption more effectively when we work together as one family with the same problem. Following the above tips can help the nation prevent or reduce corruption at the county level, national level, private sector, and public sectors. Fighting corruption starts with you and me and it can be possible if we work together as brothers and sisters to curb it.