Why recent graft forum was just a theatre of conflict
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More disturbing was that 83 per cent of respondents have paid a bribe, meaning that nearly half of the population is prone to corruption Not good at all. Hawking degrees When asked whether leaders in the academia are well equipped to fight graft, 64 per cent said no. Even when asked whether they are utilising their positions to fight corruption, 86 per cent said no and the rest said yes. This is a reason for worry. The academia is better placed to understand corruption and fight it.SEE ALSO :14 State firms that have lost Sh14 billion
Universities should be the last place where corruption should thrive because of the citadel of wisdom and knowledge. Corrupt universities would be spreading lies as knowledge and even hawking degrees. The sad conclusion was that there is corruption in academia. It was also reported that 84 per cent of professionals have the ability to fight corruption. However, more disturbing was that 88 per cent of the professionals have given a bribe, according to the study. The survey results on the media were most worrying, with 86 per cent of the respondent saying they were not effectively fighting corruption. Only 47 per cent have received a bribe. Over 99 per cent of the respondents from the private sector said they have paid a bribe, with only 67 per cent of them receiving a bribe. The presenter failed to rank factors that promote graft in terms of importance. Such factors include selfishness, greed, poverty, ethnicity and ignorance of the law. The survey can be improved to provide a framework for taming corruption. This was a good attempt to understand graft. What lacked, though was data from the economists on the impact of graft on the quality of our lives. Statutory bodies Also lacking were numbers from the judiciary detailing graft cases and how they differ from others as well as the numbers from the statutory bodies in charge of fighting corruption. Numbers do not lie. What came out was the feeling that the courts are letting us down. President Uhuru Kenyatta was specific when he urged the courts to stop using injunctions when it comes to dealing with economic crimes.SEE ALSO :Fidelity to the law not optional for select few, all must obey it
The President has access to top intelligence and such a statement is likely to be anchored on quality reports. Over 30 years ago, a professor at the university taught us about the qualities of a good auditor. The key issue was independence to maintain the credibility of an audit report. However, it is not enough to say you are independent; you must be seen to be independent. There are people who do not see the courts as independent and the judiciary should address this constituency. Recently, the Chief Justice warned new magistrates that the judiciary does not entertain or condone graft within its ranks. Well, what do the citizens think of the courts? The DPP must be aware that there must be sufficient competent and reliable evidence to allow the judge to make a fair judgement. One reason why people pay or take bribes is an obvious lack of faith in the courts. -The writer teaches at the University of NairobiSEE ALSO :Why our collective selfishness is sending us all to abyss
