The total amount of money lost related to prosecuted corruption cases in Kenya by public officers was KES 605.1 million while only KES 222.7 million was recovered, according to a government report.
The Status of Compliance with Values and Principles in Articles 10 and 232 of the Constitution Annual Report 2022/2023 by the Public Service Commission found that out of 523 government organizations surveyed, only 31 reported cases of corruption affecting 109 public officers, representing just 0.04% of all officers.
“There is a widespread perception that public officers are corrupt. Based on the low number of organizations that reported corruption cases and the low number of officers affected…, it is apparent that corruption cases may not be as widespread as the perceptions indicate or most of the persons affected do not report incidents of corruption,” the report stated.
Of the 109 corruption cases, only 34 officers were charged in court. Just 4 were convicted, while 12 were acquitted and 5 discharged. The status of 38 cases was unknown.
Here is the table rewritten in HTML:
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Government organizations surveyed | 523 |
| Organizations that reported corruption cases | 31 |
| Public officers in reporting organizations | 253,318 |
| Public officers involved in reported corruption cases | 109 |
| Corruption cases under investigation | 21 |
| Corruption cases referred for administrative action | 20 |
| Officers charged in court for corruption | 34 |
| Officers convicted of corruption | 4 |
| Officers acquitted of corruption charges | 12 |
| Officers discharged from corruption charges | 5 |
| Ongoing corruption cases | 50 |
| Total money lost in prosecuted cases | KES 605.1 million |
| Total money recovered | KES 222.7 million |
According to Transparency International’s 2023 corruption index, Kenya ranks 126th out of 180 countries globally, indicating high public perception of corruption. The report urged the government to rebuild public confidence in anti-corruption efforts.
Overall compliance was rated at 46.01%, a moderate improvement from 41.7% last year. The report attributed the progress to better performance in equitable allocation of opportunities, efficiency, effectiveness, economic use of resources and sustainable development.
However, performance declined in service delivery and professional ethics compared to last year. Just 68.5% of organizations implemented service delivery charters, while certificate fraud affected 47.7% of officers.
Gender representation was 62.2% male and 37.8% female, not yet meeting the two-thirds constitutional requirement. Only 1.53% of public officers were persons with disabilities, below the 5% target.
To improve compliance, the report suggested organizations conduct skills audits, implement employee wellness programs, comply with digitization policies and participate in public policy making.
“Sustained commitment is required to actively embrace behavioral change in execution of mandates, emphasizing the need to promote values and principles,” the report concluded.
