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Kenyaâs New Anti-Graft Chief Pledges Revitalized Corruption Fight

   Peter Clottey 26 July 2010
   Brazil's  President  Luiz  Inacio  Lula  da Silva, left, is greeted by
   Kenyan  President  Mwai  Kibaki,  right,  at  the Nairobi State House,
   Kenya, 06 Jul 2010

Photo: AP

   Brazil's  President  Luiz  Inacio  Lula  da Silva, left, is greeted by
   Kenyan  President  Mwai  Kibaki,  right,  at  the Nairobi State House,
   Kenya, 06 Jul 2010

   The  new  director  of  Kenyaâs  Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) has
   called  on President Mwai Kibakiâs coalition government to demonstrate
   its  desire  and  political  will  to  help  with  efforts to root out
   âendemicâ graft in the country.

   Professor  P.L.O Lumumba told VOA his first objective is to regenerate
   and   re-energize  the  interest  of  Kenyans  in  the  fight  against
   corruption.

   âThere  is  a sense in which people think that corruption is now a way
   of  life  and  that  it  is  a  task that can only be performed by one
   organization.  My  aim  is  to  recruit  Kenyans  in the fight against
   corruption  and  to convince them that perpetrators of corruption can,
   and will, be punished,â he said.

   Lumumba  officially  took  office  Monday  as  the new director of the
   anti-graft  body  after  the  re-appointment  of  the  former head was
   rejected by parliament.

   A  constitutional law expert, Lumumba is also a former law lecturer at
   the  University  of  Nairobi  and is widely seen by Kenyans as a vocal
   antiâcorruption crusader.

   The new anti-graft director said some senior government officials have
   been complicit in corruption cases.

   âWe know individuals in government to collude with individuals outside
   of  government  to  rip-off the government. We have the history of the
   Goldenberg; we have the issue of Anglo leasing (graft cases) and there
   has  been a sense in which individuals, who are known, are not touched
   because it is politically expedient not to do so,â he said.

   But,  Lumumba  said  that  he aims to ensure that there are no âsacred
   cowsâ  adding  that  individuals engaged in corrupt activities will be
   dealt with in accordance with Kenyan laws.

   In  its  latest  report, the Transparency International chapter in the
   country  rated  Kenya  as  the  third  most corrupt nation in the East
   Africa  Bribery  Index  closely  following  Burundi and Uganda in that
   order.

   Some  Kenyans  have  often  accused  the  judiciary  of  being slow in
   punishing perpetrators of graft.

   Critics  say  there  are many corruption cases in the courts that have
   been dragging on for years without adjudication which they said weaken
   efforts  to  fight  graft  and  emboldens  those who engage in corrupt
   practices.

   But, Professor Lumumba said the scheduled 4^th August referendum could
   help in the graft fight.

   âIt  comes  at  a  very  good  time when we are going to endorse a new
   constitution,  which  will  give  us  the  opportunity to clean up the
   judiciary  which  has stood in the way of the fight against corruption
   in many ways,â Professor Lumumba said.

   He  also assured Kenyans that his commission will do what is necessary
   to  punish perpetrators of graft adding that there is a need to create
   an  environment  where  corruption  will  not  be possible, as well as
   educating the public to resent graft.

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