Preview

Corruption in Kenya

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
615 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Corruption in Kenya
CORRUPTION AS A MAJOR EFFECT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH
The aim of this article is to describe in very simple terms the evil effects of corruption on a nation like Kenya. The aim being to present a simple easy to understand exposition of how corruption can hamper the economic development of a nation
While a certain level of corruption goes on in every country, corruption in Kenya is a particular large problem. According to research, the average urban Kenyan has to pay 16 bribes a month to get his regular affairs arranged. This paper contains the facts.
According to the 2012 corruption perceptions index, Kenya is ranked 139 out of 174 countries, improving by 15 positions from the last corruption perception index according to the Transparency International (TI). Though a useful index, this does only measure the perception of corruption in Kenya, rather than the reality of it (as corruption is concealed and hard to measure)
Corruption can refer to many different types of illegal actions, though they will usually involve a person abusing their authority for their own benefit, or for the benefit of family (political) friends. This can be government officials using public money for their own personal use or corporate executives improperly awarding contracts or taking other decisions in exchange for bribes.
Though legislation against corruption in Kenya has existed since 1956, with the Prevention of Corruption Act, the current anti –corruption agency has only been operating since 2003.n under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes act, the KACC is mandated to fight and prevent corruption through all levels of government and industry.
Corruption affects the economy in the following ways;
High prices to consumers. When entrepreneurs and businessmen are required to pay bribes before necessary permits are issued, they tend to pass that extra cost to consumers reduced investments leading to reduced goods and services and inflation. The extortion of bribes can be seen as tax which

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Soon after independence in 1961 the new Tanganyika government had no any other law which could be used to combat corruption which insteady adopted the prevention of corruption ordinance of 1958 to continue the fight against corruption…

    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many views on corruption. Transparency International (TI) has defined it as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain” (Transparency International, 2012). “Corruption is a Western concept and is not applicable to traditional societies, where corruption does not have such as negative meaning. Many traditional societies with a “gift culture” have a different understanding of civil responsibilities and etiquette. The social structure and political traditions of many countries are based on the beneficial exchange of rewards for services rendered, and cannot survive in its absence.”…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Bribery & Corruption

    • 2086 Words
    • 9 Pages

    9. Spalding, A.B. (2011). Four unchartered corners of anti-corruption law: In search of remedies to the sanctioning effect. Retrieved November 5, 2012 from http://www.law.northwestern.edu/colloquium/international/documents/SpaldingUnchartered.pdf…

    • 2086 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Political Corruption

    • 2392 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Throughout the world, a fundamental truth that must be acknowledged is that our governments are plagued by corruption. This corruption is a pervasive force firmly entrenched across all societies. With that being said, not all governments were created equal. Corruption manifests itself in a multitude of manners causing some countries to be more corrupted than others. The chief focus of this paper is to examine corruption across the world and analyze the factors that create this issue. Using an array of data analysis techniques I will attempt to investigate governments across the world, and provide insight into the political and economic aspects of corruption.…

    • 2392 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Many authors tried to understand the subject of corruption and its causes. Among them, the government weaknesses or shortcoming may lead to higher corruption since companies are not afraid of being apprehended (David Conklin, 2009). Besides, government officials with low wages and low educational levels will be more likely to accept illegal payments to survive but also because they do not realize the consequences for the nation’s economic development (David Conklin, 2009). Other reasons are given by the author like the widespread poverty, the possession of major reserves of natural resources, as being likely to influence positively the corruption. On top of that, the current literature identified a linear relationship between corruption and government regulations (Naved Ahmad, 2002) and it seems that higher degree of government regulations leads to higher levels of corruption. This is easily understandable. The more the companies need the intervention of the government to run a business (licenses and permits, control over procurement, contracts,…

    • 1551 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    [ 20 ]. Foundation, T. R. (2010). Anti corruption Profile. Retrieved October 23, 2011, from Trust Law: http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/country-profiles/good-governance.dot?id=97a34001-e03b-46f5-9e68-07d8e38712a5…

    • 9446 Words
    • 38 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Corruption, according to Rose-Ackerman (1996, p. 365), “occurs when officials use their positions of public trust for private gain.” It is “an extralegal institution used by individuals or groups to gain influence over the bureaucracy” (Leff, 1964, p. 8). That is, corruption involves transactions, typically between private parties and public officials, designed to manipulate the machinery of government. It may be of the permission-seeking type (quotas, licenses, permits, passports, and visas), the enforcement avoiding type (tax evasion, illegal pollution) or the competition-harassing type.…

    • 5033 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Saqib

    • 5586 Words
    • 23 Pages

    Reporters without Borders ,(2009) retrieved on May 12, 2010, Pemra, Retrieved on December 31st 2010..…

    • 5586 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    bribery

    • 2109 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Economic analysis of bribery is imbalance in the distribution of wealth. (Masami Mustaza, 2009). The rich family will become richer and the poor family will become poorer. The poor pay a higher share of their income on bribes than the rich. An IMF study shows that an increase of just 0.78 percent in corruption reduces the income growth of the poorest 20 percent of the people in a country by 7.8 percent a year. The poor will face tremendous difficulties in improving their lives since they have no relation, and not enough money to buy luxury goods even inferior goods. The net effect of corruption is felt most directly, and disproportionately, by the poor (G8 St. Petersburg Summit, 2006). Because of that, poorer are limited choice for their goods. They can purchase necessary goods only and no extra income to purchase extra goods or luxury goods such as car, house and so on.…

    • 2109 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In addition to taxes, regulations, tariffs and so on, other political challenges that can and do affect a firm’s performance include the level of corruption that is prevalent in a country. Kenya as a country has suffered being listed in various corruption index reports released by various global…

    • 1969 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Essays

    • 4288 Words
    • 18 Pages

    Corruption has been described “as the abuse of public office for private gain.” This refers to a gain of any sort such as a gain in finance, in status- by an individual or a group. It includes bribery, patronage, nepotism, embezzlement etc……

    • 4288 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Corruption and Nepotism

    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages

    One of the definitions of the term corruption is "giving something to someone with power so that he will abuse his power and act favoring the giver". Another definition is "the offering, giving, soliciting or acceptance of an inducement or reward, which may influence the action of any person". It includes bribery and extortion which involve at least two parties, and other types of malfeasance that a public official can commit alone, including fraud and embezzlement. The appropriation of public assets for private use and the embezzlement of public funds by politicians and bureaucrats have such clear and direct adverse impact on India's economic development that their costs do not warrant any complex economic analysis. There are many myths about corruption, which have to be exploded if we really want to combat it. Some of these myths are: Corruption is a way of life and nothing can be done about it. Only people from…

    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    {text:bookmark-start} {text:bookmark-start} INTRODUCTION {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-end} Corruption - defined as 'the abuse of public power for personal ends ' - has always existed. During recent decades, however, it has grown both in terms of geographic extent and intensity. Since the mid 1970s, it has infiltrated virtually every country in the world. It was hoped that the easing of political and economic restrictions that characterized the 1990s after the end of the Cold War would have gone some way to reducing this phenomenon. Through increased openness resulting from political pluralism and the freedom of the press, the process of democratisation should, under normal circumstances, mobilise efforts to overcome corruption. However, emergent democracies are still fragile and seem to find the task of tackling established self-interests a formidable one. By reducing state intervention and therefore the opportunities for corruption, economic liberalization should, for its part, likewise improve matters. In the short term, however, the opposite would appear to be true. Weakened state structures, a lack of appropriate legislation, powerlessness on the part of the judicial system to combat corruption, the pursuit of easy money - mistakenly perceived by some as being equivalent to a market economy - all these factors together contribute to aggravating the phenomenon, at least in the transitional stages. Such a state of affairs cannot fail to have some effect on those who are involved in and concerned with development issues.…

    • 966 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    While measures of growth, education and access to health facilities are easily available, it is extremely difficult to actually assess the level of underhand dealings in an economy. The lack of concrete information makes any corruption measure largely susceptible to biases and subjectivity. To augment is, depending on the definition of corruption for any single economy. Our project is aimed at waiving the problems encountered in comprehending the exact nature of the relationship between corruption and economic development. To this effect .we have attempted to do the following:…

    • 17947 Words
    • 58 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    corruption

    • 7839 Words
    • 32 Pages

    Rose-Ackerman, Susan. 1999. Corruption and Government: Causes, Consequences and Reform. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.…

    • 7839 Words
    • 32 Pages
    Powerful Essays