No headway in anti-graft war

• Kenya remains firmly anchored at the bottom of region in corruption index

Kenya recorded marginal gains in the fight against corruption but remains firmly anchored at the bottom in the region behind Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, a report released on Wednesday says.

The country’s score in the International Corruption Perception Index 2009 report conducted by Transparency International stands at a dismal 2.2 on a 10-point scale compared to last year’s 2.1.

The score puts Kenya at position 146 out of 180 countries surveyed, up from 147 in 2008, but in the company of endemically corrupt states like Zimbabwe and Russia.

Kenya is also placed at position 32 out of 47 African countries while Botswana is ranked top at position 37 globally with a score of 5.6.

Rwanda is the best placed nation in the region at position 89 with a score of 3.3. Tanzania is 20 places above Kenya at 126 with a score of 2.6 while Uganda is at position 130 with a perception index of 2.5.

New Zealand scored the highest corruption perception index of 9.4 globally.

Wednesday’s was the latest in a series of reports that the corruption watchdog has released warning of public disenchantment with Kenya’s coalition government.

Kenya is lumped together with Guinea, Zimbabwe and Niger as countries where political leaders have failed to address the vicious cycle that links corruption to poverty and harassment of activists.

Blamed leaders

“Anti-corruption activists and whistleblowers are increasingly at risk as government crackdowns limit democratic opposition and stifle civil society’s ability to express the voice of the people,” says the report.

TI Kenya executive director Job Ogonda warned that corruption was fast eroding the country’s attractiveness as an investment and tourism destination and blamed leaders and a “flawed constitution” for sanctioning graft.

“TI Kenya holds that the inequalities and injustices that have led to violence and insecurity in the country is as a result of graft sanctioned by a deeply flawed Constitution,” Mr Ogonda said.