A majority of Kenyans say the level of corruption in the country has increased and the government is doing a poor job of fighting it, a new Afrobarometer analysis shows.

Findings from a national survey in late 2019 show that among Kenyans who had contact with selected public services during the preceding year, substantial proportions say they had to pay a bribe to obtain the services they needed.

The most frequent experience of paying a bribe was among citizens who sought assistance from the police. And only a small minority believe that people can report corruption to the authorities without fear of retaliation.

Corruption hit the headlines again recently when a report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists implicated high-profile figures around the world – including prominent personalities in Kenya – in using secret offshore accounts to accumulate wealth.

Almost two-thirds (64%) of Kenyans say the level of corruption in the country increased “somewhat” or “a lot” during the year preceding the survey, a 23-percentage-point increase compared to 2014.

Eight in 10 citizens (79%) of citizens say the government is doing a “fairly bad” or “very bad” job of fighting corruption, a 13-percentage-point increase compared to 2014.

Only two in 10 Kenyans (18%) believe that ordinary people can report incidents of corruption to authorities without fear of retaliation or other negative consequences.

The police are most widely perceived as corrupt: 68% of Kenyans say “most” or “all” police officials are corrupt. Substantial proportions of the population see widespread corruption by the president and officials in his office (33%), county assembly members (46%), and members of Parliament (47%).

Among respondents who had contact with key public services during the year preceding the survey, substantial proportions say they had to pay bribes to get police assistance (56%), avoid problems with the police (39%), or obtain identity documents (49%), medical care (24%), or public school services (18%).

Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda has reiterated her commitment towards improving infrastructure.

Speaking after holding aa training on projects implementations with Project Management Committees of all schools, she noted that infrastructure is key towards transformation.

“We continue to work towards improving the infrastructure of our  learning institutions. We held a training on projects implementations with Project Management Committees of all schools that will be befitting from NGCDF 2021/2022” she said.

The Legislator revealed that out of the 59 schools, 31 have received cheques  adding that the office is waiting  for more funds to be disbursed.

She also held consultative meeting with top management of KMTC Nyahururu Campus, Samburu County Health Department led by the CEC and Architectural consultants to firm up on some of the queries that will enable hasten the process.

“This is a vision that we are all looking forward to seeing it come to fruition. It gave me so much joy to interact with students of St. John’s college who came to say hello and appreciate the work done so far” said Lesuuda.

Equity Group Managing Director and CEO, Dr. James Mwangi is among 100 global leaders selected by Ernst & Young’s Meaningful Business 100 (MB 100) 2021.

The 3^rd edition hailed leaders for their role in tackling the world’s most pressing issues and for fostering the achievement of the UN Global Goals.

Dr. James Mwangi was selected under the financial services category, for championing initiatives that address the 17 SDGs and specifically focusing on alleviating poverty and inequality at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid.

This has been realised through his vision and through his efforts to drive Equity’s business model which focuses on financial inclusion and for running a high volume and low margin corporate, with a purpose to transform lives, give dignity and expand opportunities for wealth creation aligned with a call to push for a purpose first economy in the six markets the Group operates in.

According to MB 100, its membership takes a people centered approach, placing the wellbeing of employees and those impacted by the business, at the forefront of the strategy.

Each leader must have either created positive, direct and intended impact aligned to one or more SDGs in the last 12 months or must have been the driving force behind the product, service or project that combines purpose and profit.

The 2021 nominees included corporate CEOs, entrepreneurs, sustainability leaders and impact investors, representing the best of what business, entrepreneurship and social innovation can be from 33 countries worldwide.

The recognition was curated by an expert panel of 21 judges and the winners were scored across five key areas: Impact, Leadership, Innovation, Durability and Scope.

The 2021 panel of judges included Nikhil Seth an assistant Secretary General at the UN, Stasia Mitchell, the Global Entrepreneurship Lead at audit firm EY and Paul Lindley the founder of Ella’s Kitchen among others.

Over the past few years, Kenyan corporates have increasingly become conscious of how their operations, consumption and production are impacting the environment and community.

This has seen not just Dr. Mwangi receive the recognition but another 4 Kenyans have also been selected from a pool of 500 nominations from 75 countries globally.

Last year Dr. Mwangi joined a league of 14 global CEOs with a proposed a roadmap to “build the economic system better” after the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also an honoree of the 2020 Oslo Business for Peace Award.

In 2012, Dr. James Mwangi won the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year, becoming the first business leader from Sub Saharan Africa to win this prestigious award among others.