UK withholds Kenya grant over corruption

The British Government has withheld a Sh1.2billion grant over the disappearance of funds for the free primary education programme in two government ministries.

The bone of contention, the British officials say, is the failure by the ministries of Finance and Education to account for Sh100million, budgeted for constructing new classrooms and buying text books for poor students in poverty ravaged districts.

“Unless we see action, mainly  arrests and prosecution of those involved in the scam, we will not disburse any more funds,” said the head of the department for international development, DFID, Alistair Fernie.

The funds, according to the British Government representatives, disappeared early this year and are yet to be recovered. Fingers are being pointed at officers in the two ministries, mandated to handle free primary education grants.

Mr  Fernie, said the two ministries conducted investigations into the matter, last June, but added that the organisation was yet to receive a final report.

An official at the Ministry of Education who did not want to be named, due to the sensitivity of the case, confirmed the matter, saying officers of the two ministries were investigating the scandal. 

He, however, could not confirm whether those  implicated will be prosecuted saying the final decision will be made by ministers and permanent secretaries of the two ministries.

The scandal will further dent Kenya’s image among its western donors, who have consistently accused the country’s leadership of doing little to tackle corruption.

Free primary education has been touted as one of the most successful programmes of the Kibaki administration, and has seen more than a million students joining various schools and thousands of new classrooms constructed to accommodate them.

The five-year-old UK project, which started in 2005 is worth around Sh7billion, DFID has, so far, disbursed Sh6.1billion to the Kenya Government. The UK also initially agreed to provide an additional Sh615million for the construction of toilets in various schools in the poverty stricken regions.

Mr Fernie, who spoke during the launch of a new brochure, by DFID  Towards a Better Future: Working with Kenya to Tackle Corruption, in Nairobi Friday, said the two ministries had promised to punish those involved.

“Officials of the two ministries told us that some of those implicated in the scandal have been suspended. We are still waiting for more action from the government,” the DFID head boss said.

UK ambassador, Rob Macaire, concurred with his fellow citizen, saying the British public was more concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability in the use of its money by some developing countries.

“The British taxpayers want to know how their money is being used and  it is our duty as their representatives to ensure that it benefits Kenyans in general and not a few individuals,” said Mr Macaire.

The Ambassador once again criticised the government for lacking political will in fighting corruption. He said the British government’s Serious Fraud Office  (SFO) stopped investigations into the Anglo Leasing scam after failure by the Kenya government to provide crucial information requested by the British investigators.

“The Kenya Government has also failed to pass information to the British Government  that would have helped  freeze corruptly obtained assets abroad and recovering lost funds,” said Mr Macaire.

He added that Britain had helped Nigeria recover funds stashed in foreign banks by corrupt individuals in the west African country, adding that the same can be done for Kenya if only the government cooperates.