Tom Mogusu
13 April 2005
Nairobi — The Government yesterday agreed to a long list of conditions it must meet in the next one year before it can get more money from donors.
Most of the funds for development projects will remain intact, though no significant new pledges were made.
"We discussed important policy reforms and agenda for Kenya and which should be implemented as a way of enabling Kenya access the funds that had been pledged," said Mr Makhtar Diop, the World Bank's Country Director for Kenya, Eritrea and Somalia, at the end of the two-day consultative meeting.
Diop described the meeting as a success.
"This was a truly consultative meeting. It is not one which people came from abroad to tell this government what to do," he said.
After two days of consultations in a high-powered meeting between Kenya its donors, the government acceded to demands first broached by the private sector and civil society that it first demonstrates serious commitment to fight corruption.
Though discussions during the second day were generally described as positive, allegations of increased corruption and what the donors termed as the Government's slow pace in fighting the vice overshadowed a bigger economic and development debate. The meeting was closed to the media, but there was a press briefing after 7pm.
Sources say that the Government agreed to fast track the implementation of a five-point strategy that should pave the way for the promised budgetary support. This includes:
Enactment of legislation to establish a legislative platform on which to anchor the war on corruption.
Vigorous enforcement of anti-corruption laws through investigation of corruption offences and economic crimes, as well as recovery of corruptly acquired property.
Identification and sealing of loopholes through institution of effective public sector management controls.
National public education aimed at stigmatising corruption and inducing behavioral change.
Implementing macroeconomic and structural reforms to reduce the incidence and demand for corruption by scaling down the role of the public sector and bureaucracy.
The strategy was not part of the original agenda of the meeting.
Finance minister David Mwiraria confirmed that the action plan had been agreed upon and said the Government would also review existing provisions governing the conduct of public servants to ensure that they support the effective implementation of the action plan.
Such a review, said Mwiraria, would address issues such as conflict of interest, adherence to relevant Code of Ethics and efficiency, accountability and transparency in the conduct of public affairs.
The donors are also asking the Government "to engage in regular dialogue with Parliament, civil society, the private sector and the international community."
"While the Executive arm is fully committed to fighting corruption, support of the other two branches together with the general public is crucial," said Mwiraria.
One of the major undertakings by the Government is that it will expand the jurisdiction of Special Magistrates' Courts to enable them to deal with corruption and economic crimes cases.
It will also empower the High Court to appoint receivers for property suspected to have been obtained through corruption.
The Kenya anti-corruption commission will also be empowered to take over corruption-related cases that have already been commenced by the police.
Mwiraria also called on donor governments to prosecute foreign companies colluding with Kenyans in corrupt deals.
"If perpetrators of corruption know that they cannot run and hide abroad, they will think twice about engaging in acts of corruption," he said.
Diop said that other than the strategy on anti-corruption, the discussions dealt on efforts to improve accountability, ownership of development and economic growth and democracy.
"We discussed governance because there is an increasing concern by Kenyans themselves on how the government was addressing these issues. We spent three hours discussing governance and agreed to set-up an action plan that will be monitored and evaluated from time to time," he said.
Even though the consultative meeting did not dwell on releasing additional funds to Kenya, Diop said the Government's ability and speed in implementing the growth agenda was also on the discussion table.
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