The Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Strategies: A Kenyan Case Study

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of anti-corruption strategies in Kenya; led by the following research questions; what are the some of the main causes of corruption in Kenya? What are some of the common forms of corruption? What are the anti-corruption strategies that have been adopted in Kenya? What are the legal and constitutional frameworks for combating corruption in Kenya? How have the anticorruption strategies in Kenya influenced the trends of corruption in Kenya? The methodology used was a descriptive pattern of research design. The population for the study included 1024 individuals working with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in Nairobi. The sampling frame comprised of a list of all the staff at the EACC, obtained at the human resources office. The research used a semi-structured interview method to gather data from the respondents selected through a randomized computer generated system. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The study found that there were several causal factors to corruption in Kenya; institutional weaknesses, poor pay packages for the civil servants and lack of transparency and accountability in public institutions were some of the major causes of corruption in Kenya. It also determined that there were various forms of corruption; petty corruption, grand corruption, bureaucratic corruption, political corruption as well as private sector corruption. Various anti-corruption strategies were found to be existent and implemented by the government. These strategies range from legal, institutional through to financial. It also found out further that the government has put in place institutional frameworks to reduce the level of bureaucratic corruption in the country. It found that there were mixed results with regard to the effectiveness of the anticorruption strategies employed in Kenya. The study concludes by contending that there are several factors to blame for the existence of corruption in Kenya which are mostly associated with the political culture in Kenya and the lack of political will to resolve and combat them. It also contends that the existence of the legal and institutional frameworks for combating corruption provides a credible opportunity for dealing with the vice. The study recommends that the specific institutions charged with combating corruption should be strengthened and provided with prosecutorial powers.