IMAGE/Transparency International.
By BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT
Kenya registered an insignificant one point drop in the 2018 global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Transparency International latest report shows.
Kenya attained a score of 27 points out of 100, down from the 28 it scored in 2017, and took position 144 out of 180. In the past five years, Kenya’s score has ranged between 25 and 28, – it attained 26 in 2016 and 25 in 2015 and 2014.
The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people, uses a scale of 0 to 100, 0 being the indicator of the highly
The dismal ranking came at a time when the government of Kenya has intensified the war against corruption with scores of people both from State agencies and private sector facing graft related case in courts.
Kenya’s score was below the global average of 43 and Sub-Saharan Africa’s mean of 32. More than two-thirds of the countries score below 50 points, the average being 43.
The report revealed that the continued failure of most countries to significantly control corruption has contributed to a crisis in democracy around the world.
While there were exceptions, the data showed that despite some progress, most countries were failing to make progress against the vice.
In both Kenya and South Africa, citizen engagement in the fight against corruption is crucial, said the report.
“For example, social media has played a big role in driving public conversation around corruption. The rise of mobile technology means ordinary citizens in many countries now have instant access to information, and an ability to voice their opinions in a way that previous generations did not,” the report stated.
“In addition to improved access to information, which is critical to the fight against corruption, government officials in Kenya and South Africa are also reaching to social media to engage with the public.”
It added, “The real test will be whether these new administrations will follow through on their anti-corruption commitments moving forward.”
Read the full report here: Corruption Perceptions Index 2018
