Graft tops list of Kenya’s major challenges, says Eliud Wabukala
EACC Chairman Eliud Wabukala who says Kenya’s corruption index is at 49.4 per cent.
Corruption still tops the list of major challenges facing the country, according to a recent survey by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
According to EACC Chairman Eliud Wabukala, Kenya’s corruption index is at 49.4 per cent followed by unemployment at 36.8 per cent and poverty/famine at 27.2 per cent.
He regretted that the findings were coming in the wake of reinvigorated efforts in the fight against graft in the country.
“It is also unfortunate that in our communities, 67 per cent of Kenyans do nothing in the fight against corruption and unethical conduct, with only 5.8 per cent reporting graft incidents,” he revealed.
Speaking after the official opening of an integrity assurance officers training course for Kenya Defence Forces staff at Enashipai Resort in Naivasha on Monday, Mr Wabukala noted that military resources are largely managed behind a veil of secrecy.
Strong preventive measures
“Justifiably so, especially on the grounds of national security. However, such resources can easily be wasted or stolen if strong preventive measures are not put in place,” warned Mr Wabukala.
He pinpointed corruption risks in the defence sector which, he said, may include bribery, kickbacks during recruitment, collusion in promotions, bid rigging, influence peddling, theft of funds, embezzlement and fraud.
He called on the KDF officers to be prepared to mitigate the extent, severity and impact of corrupt practices in their areas of operation.
He revealed that EACC has so far prevented the loss of about Sh9.6 billion annually since the promulgation of the Constitution in 2010.
“In addition, the commission has recovered corruptly acquired assets worth about Sh19.9 billion and disrupted possible loss of public funds worth about Sh96 billion in the last 10 years,” said the EACC chairman.
He told the participants that the purpose of the training was to assist them to identify corruption risks and develop a corruption mitigation plan so as to prevent and combat it.
Mr Wabukala said some institutions are asking for such training merely to fulfil their performance contract targets, without implementing what they learn.
