‘Massive graft’ turns off Canadian aid tap

Kenya is no longer a country of focus for aid from Canada, the country’s new High Commissioner has said.

Mr David Collins said in an interview that this was due to massive graft. He cited the scandal surrounding the Sh103 million embezzled from the Free Primary Education programme.

“We are waiting for a final explanation. So, we’re taking a slight pause in bilateral programming in Kenya,” the envoy said on Thursday.

Keep away investors

Excessive corruption in Kenya is also deterring investment. “Corruption is very unattractive to investors. There are many markets in many other parts of the world they can go to,” he said.

Global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International rated Kenya as the 146th least corrupt country in the world last year, while Canada was rated the 8th least corrupt.

Last year, Canada’s official development agency changed its list of priority countries, which get most development assistance funds.

Kenya and a number of other African countries were dropped from the list, while a number of Latin American countries were added.

On Tuesday, the Canadian campaign to win one of the five non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council failed when the country was defeated by Germany and Portugal.

Analysts have attributed this loss, the first one since 1948, to strong pro-Israeli policies and the cutting of aid to Africa.

Mr Collins said Canada has not “downgraded” its relationship with Kenya.