The Ethics and Anti-Corruption commision (EACC) has proposed the strengthening of leadership, integrity and corruption laws to allow for expeditious completion of corruption cases as one way of dealing with corruption in the country. Speaking during the launch of the National Ethics and Corruption Survey 2017 at the KICC in Nairobi, EACC Chairman Eliud Wabukala noted that the corruption cases are huge, in the face of the war against graft. He said they’ll also lobby for tougher punishments for those found guilty, “Kenyans are saying one of the methods to stop corruption is to punish…penalties can also be enhanced,” said Wabukala.
The survey, he said, is comprehensive and was conducted in all 47 Counties and in 5,977 households. He said according to the report, it was noted that corruption is largely initiated by service providers in public places, saying that in some instances, people go with money already prepared because they know what to expect. He also debunked the notion that only the big fish engage in corruption, given that the chief’s office encompassing village elders led public offices where bribes were paid, followed by police stations. The average bribe dropped from Kshs 5,058.75 from Kshs 7,081.05 in 2016.
Predictably, corruption is still rated as the toughest problem facing the country, according to 43.6% of the respondents, followed by poverty according to 37% of the respondents, unemployment (32.2%) unfavourable economic conditions (22.2%) and political instability (21.8%)