Kenyans want Kibaki, PM to lead graft fight

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 11 - A recent opinion poll by Transparency International (TI) has revealed that 39.5 percent of Kenyans want President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to renew their commitment to the war against corruption.

Majority of those interviewed feel that the two coalition principals need to prioritise their anti-corruption agenda under the new Constitution.

TI Executive Director Samuel Kimeu said on Monday that a further 16.7 percent of the respondents wanted the President and Prime Minister to identify and be actively involved in hastening pending corruption cases.

“They (Kenyans) want to see the President and Prime Minister lead the fight against corruption by requiring those who are mentioned in corrupt practices to vacate office and those who are being considered for appointment into offices and have been mentioned in corruption again should not be appointed,” he said.

Speaking when the report was released, the TI boss said 61.4 percent of respondents felt that they also had a role to play in the fight against corruption.

Ninety-seven percent of those interviewed said that corruption was still a major problem in Kenya, while 75 percent expressed optimism that the new Constitution would effectively support anti-corruption efforts.

Mr Kimeu said that lack of requisite management capabilities at the local level was identified as a likely cause of increased corruption in the devolved government.

He called on everyone to closely monitor and participate in the implementation of the new Constitution, arguing that its success in creating a better order largely hinged on how well each institution and individual takes up responsibilities created therein.

He pointed out that the new Constitution provides for citizens’ involvement in governance processes and said that Kenyans must begin filling this responsibility by taking advantage of the provisions that promote their participation.