Capital set for another audit

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29 - The City Council of Nairobi (CCN) will commission an independent survey to identify areas where corruption thrives at City Hall.

This follows a recent survey by Transparency International that placed City Hall among the most corrupt institutions in the country.

Director of City Planning Tom Odongo said on Thursday that the survey is meant to identify areas of concern and help the council put in place corruption mitigation measures.

"It has to be a scientific and independent study by a consultant. Basically you have to identify where are the grey areas that permit corruption to take place and from the baseline, you are able to develop a prevention strategy as to how you seal the loop holes," he said.

Mr Odongo said this is part of reform processes being undertaken to restore the confidence of Nairobi residents on the City Council.

"We have also been doing this with the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission. We have also identified some areas which are in need of reforms," he explained.

Meanwhile, Nairobi Mayor Geoffrey Majiwa says concerted effort by the NCC and residents is needed for efficient service delivery.

"The public forgets that they have a right to know what goes on in City Hall and this makes them even more ignorant to an extent that they even forget that there are by-laws that are governing the management of the affairs in City Hall," he said. "It is also important for The City Council of Nairobi to ensure that copies of by-laws are all over in the city."

The Nairobi Mayor explained that residents should inform the council on areas of improvement so that necessary action could be taken by the council.

"Instead of coming out and accusing us that we are not collecting garbage, you should look for a way of informing us which areas we need to come and then wait to see whether we are going to (come)," he stated.

"Some people have this tendency of just accusing us in the media without even giving us information. We are not angels and we do not live where garbage is produced."

According to the Transparency Bribery Index, the Kenya Police took the dubious distinction of being the most corrupt institution in the country, signalling the failure of all the systems put in place to cleanse and sanitise it.

Playing in the same league are the Nairobi City Council, ministries of Defence, Lands, Immigration, as well as the Judiciary and the Prisons department, among others.

The latest classification also indicated that some organisations like the National Social Security Fund and the National Hospital Insurance Fund had moved out of the bracket.