KRA staff and police among most corrupt officers, says new survey

You are not likely to access Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) services without paying a bribe, according to a new report. 

The latest finding by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) released on Tuesday ranked KRA officers second most corrupt among professional groups at 17.3 per cent.

Police ranked top at 27.6 per cent. 

The 2024 National Ethics and Corruption Survey is derived from views of 5,960 households across the country. The survey, conducted between November 6 and December 1 last year, lists chiefs the third most corrupt at 16.2 per cent, followed by county inspectorate officers (14.6 per cent) and lawyers (14.1 per cent). 

Land surveyors were also exposed among most corrupt professional groups. “Teachers, journalists, university lecturers, bankers, doctors and nurses and economists were reported as least involved in unethical practices and corruption,” the report reads.

Corruption practices are entrenched in the police service, registrations offices, healthcare sector and Immigration offices. 

The EACC report also established the bribery trend is most likely encountered in government ministries led by Interior (47.8 per cent), Health (19.7 per cent), Treasury (5.8 per cent), Lands and Housing (4.7 per cent) and Education (4.1 per cent).

Cash for services

“Departments and services perceived as most prone to unethical practices and corruption in county governments were county health services (45.1 per cent), county transport (9.1 per cent), county-agriculture (7.9 per cent), county administrative department/unit (4.8 per cent), and county public service board (4.7 per cent),” said the report. 

According to the report, majority of bribes were paid in cash (99.5 per cent), with only 0.5 per cent of respondents indicating they gave food or drink as a form of inducement.

Three out of four Kenyans (75.6 per cent) reported paying a bribe before receiving a service, while only two out of 10 victims reported.  

Generally, the report showed 25 per cent of Kenyans were asked to pay a bribe to receive services, with majority (43 per cent) of them paying because it was demanded while 23 per cent issued a bribe as it was the only way to access the service. 

“A majority of the respondents (71.9 per cent) were either very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with integrity, transparency and accountability in public service delivery in Kenya while merely 14.5 percent were either very satisfied or satisfied,” stated the survey. 

Majority of the respondents cited that greed among public officers (44.6) largely contributed to the persistent corruption practices. 

Other reasons Kenyans gave for engaging in corruption include lack of integrity (7.2 per cent), poverty (4.3 per cent) and delay in service provision (3.3 per cent). 

Urgency of the service needed, culture of corruption and poor pay and corrupt chiefs, the report also cited as major causes of corruption in public service provision. 

EACC chairperson, David Oginde, said corruption poses a major obstacle in economic development.

“The survey findings indicate the need to prioritise ethics promotion and prevention of corruption to enhance economic growth and advance progress towards achieving the Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda and the Sustainable Development goal 16 aimed at reducing unethical practices, corruption and bribery in the country,” he said during the launch of the report at the Integrity Centre, Nairobi. 

The report also found that residents of Elgeyo-Marakwet, Marsabit and Wajir counties are most likely to pay bribes to access services compared to other devolved units, a new report has revealed. 

According to EACC, Kwale, Kilifi and Wajir counties have the highest likelihood of bribe demand among counties. 

“Elgeyo-Marakwet, Marsabit and Wajir were counties where bribery was most prevalent with all (100%) respondents who sought services in these counties paying a bribe,” the report says.

The study indicated that one is also likely to be asked for a bribe in Mandera, Marsabit, Tharaka Nithi, Kitui, Murang’a, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Vihiga, Homa Bay and Nyamira counties. 

“The largest share of national bribe was paid in Uasin-Gishu County (11.12 per cent), followed by Baringo (6.94 per cent), Embu (5.54 per cent), Homa Bay (5.32 per cent), Bomet (5.01 per cent), Kakamega (4.30 per cent), Tana River (4.12per cent), Kiambu (3.43 per cent), Nyamira (3.33 per cent) and Wajir (3.13 per cent) counties.”   

At the same time, Uasin Gishu led in the counties where respondents paid the largest amount of bribes of Sh25,873, followed by Baringo (Sh16,156), Embu (Sh12,878), Homa Bay (Sh12,381), Bomet (Sh11,650), Kakamega (Sh10,013), Tana River (Sh9,582), Kiambu (Sh 7,982), Nyamira (Sh 7,748) and Wajir (Sh7,275) counties.

Worsening services

The survey that showed that services have worsened in the counties, and that one is more likely to bribe their way to save a life in county hospitals than any other service at 45.1 per cent.

“Control of drugs and pornography (57.4 per cent), county health services-ambulance, health facilities, cemeteries (53.3 per cent) and firefighting services and disaster management (51.8 per cent) were ranked as poor in service provision by majority of the respondents,” reads the report.

It also emerged that Assistant County Commissioners’ office and County Administration, Education, Public Works and Transport Departments were institutions where bribery was most prevalent. 

A weak legal framework, government bureaucracy and lack of accountability were cited as major contributing factors to corruption in the public service. Hampered economic growth, poor living standards and increased cost of living were listed as major impacts of corruption.