Job opportunity? - Whistle-blowers to get 5 percent of recovered loot

The Building Bridges Initiative report might just have opened a rather creepy but lucrative ‘job’ for Kenyans – ‘professional’ Whistle-blower.

A whistle-blower is a person who informs on a person or organization regarded as engaging in an unlawful or immoral activity.

According to the report that was unveiled by President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on November 27, 2019, anyone who would report a corrupt person would get 5 per cent of the total recovered loot.

This, according to some local unemployed youths, would be a fulltime job bearing in mind the current unemployment rates in the country.

“I think I just got myself some hustle, if I report someone for stealing Sh1million from public coffers then I would get Sh50,000 in return,” says Benard Chege a Bachelor of Arts in Economics graduate from a local university. 

Risks

However, this ‘job’, just like any other comes with risks.

First of all is security and cost of spy equipment such as hidden cameras and high-end investigative gear.

In most instances, corrupt people would protect themselves at all costs from being exposed. This will pose a risk to the whistle blower. But for Chege who is an aspiring whistleblower, he is aptly prepared. 

“I will take caution and make sure I patriotically do my work of sanitising this country from corruption, besides, I am earning!” he says.

Chege remains confident with the BBI report recommending protection of whistleblowers.

Protection

According to the report, whistleblowers will be protected by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) by strengthening the Witness Protection Agency. 

Last year, the state had proposed that citizens be paid 10 per cent of the amount recovered from corruption, if their information leads to the arrest and conviction of accused persons.

Chege now sits tight as he hopes that the BBI report will be passed so that he can, at last be ‘employed’.