Lumumba promises to rid Kenya of corruption

By Job Weru and Athman Amran

The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) director PLO Lumumba has said he will not relent in his fight against corruption.

Speaking at the KAC University in Nairobi on Friday, Lumumba said his organization has presented not less than 50 cases to the Attorney General for prosecution during his six months in office.

The KACC director pointed out that the matatu industry alone loses Sh1.8 billion in bribing both the police and magistrates.

"The effect can be seen in our roads, which get destroyed because of the combination of corruption and wastage," Lumumba said.

Meanwhile Kacc is set to rid ministry of lands of corruption.

The commission has started a nationwide study targeting land offices, which are deemed to be havens of corruption.

A team of experts, which started its work in Nyeri, will assess the extent of corruption and its impact on service delivery in land offices in Kenya.

When the team arrived at the Nyeri offices, there was anxiety among employees and excitement among members of the public.

The four officers, who said they were on their routine checks, held meeting with senior lands officers from Nyeri County.

A research officer who identified herself only as Jedidah said the visit was aimed at assessing the extent of corruption and its impact on service delivery in the lands sector.

"Specifically, the study sought to establish factors that hinder access to quality and timely provision of services in the lands ministry. It is a national exercise, and it is not only staged in Nyeri," said Jedidah.

However, as some officials engaged Nyeri Lands Registrar Mr Agnes Kuria and her Adjudication and Settlement counterpart Japheth M’Kanata, other officials engaged wananchi in interviews outside the public lobby.

When contacted, M’Kanata said: "We had a healthy discussion with the officers on how to give services to the public".

Kanata said members of the public were ignorant of where to acquire specific services from various departments within the lands ministry, hence making it appear the worst in service delivery.

"For example, most people do not know where to get searches and other services. Other land owners do not have information on what they want, hence making them waste a lot of time moving from one office to the another," he said.

He however noted that the department was committed to ensure Kenyans received maximum services without discrimination.

"We are employees of Kenyans, and our duty is to serve them accordingly," he said.