Bribery remains deeply embedded in everyday life, with citizens routinely paying to access public services.
While average bribe amounts have fallen, corruption remains pervasive, eroding trust in institutions and undermining justice.
This week, Africa marks African Anti-Corruption Day, commemorating the adoption of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. It is a call for integrity, accountability and ethical governance. For Kenya, however, it should be less a celebration than a moment of reckoning.
The 2024 National Ethics and Corruption Survey paints a troubling picture. Bribery remains deeply embedded in everyday life, with citizens routinely paying to access public services. While average bribe amounts have fallen, corruption remains pervasive, eroding trust in institutions and undermining justice.
The problem extends far beyond petty bribery. Inflated procurement deals, ghost projects, nepotism and elite cartels continue to drain public resources. Kenya loses an estimated Sh608 billion annually to graft—about seven per cent of GDP. That money could transform public services, create jobs and improve millions of lives. As the World Bank warns, corruption remains one of the greatest barriers to reducing poverty and achieving shared prosperity.
Successive governments have left behind their own scandals, from Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing to the NYS scandals, Arror and Kimwarer dams, and more recently the fake fertiliser saga and the stalled KNH oxygen plant. The names change, but the pattern remains. Corruption persists because it has become normalised, from small acts of dishonesty to large-scale theft of public funds.
The consequences are severe. Public confidence in government continues to decline, while many high-profile corruption cases collapse because of weak investigations, political interference or compromised evidence. Justice cannot deter corruption if it is perceived to be for sale.
Kenya urgently needs to depoliticise the anti-corruption fight. Independent institutions must be empowered, not manipulated, while the Judiciary and investigative agencies must pursue cases professionally and without favour. Politicians should stop dismissing every prosecution involving their allies as a political witch-hunt.
Nurture ethical leadership
Technology, investigative journalism and public oversight also have an essential role in exposing corruption and tracking public spending. Countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea demonstrate that strong institutions, transparent systems and sustained political commitment can dramatically reduce graft.
Ultimately, however, laws alone will not solve the problem. Kenya must rebuild a culture that rewards integrity and rejects dishonest wealth. Schools, universities, families and places of worship should nurture ethical leadership, while young people must lead the demand for accountability rather than become participants in patronage.
Corruption steals opportunities, weakens institutions and mortgages the nation’s future. Kenya must choose action over rhetoric, integrity over impunity, and courage over silence.
