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By Mzalendo Contributor - Moreen Majiwa (@mmajiwa)
By now anyone watching new or reading the newspaper knows of
the billions of shillings missing from/unaccounted for from the Treasury’s 2008/2009
budget. The Mars Group highlights deficiencies in the governments accounting systems
in its report ‘Revenue Accounting by the Government of Kenya: Unsatisfactory State
of Affairs.’ It highlights the fact that only 1 out 14 revenue accounts has been fully
certified, and uncertified revenue totals 714 billion shillings.
The never-ending corruption scandal government continues. It is no wonder that
Transparency International’s 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Kenya as one of
the most corrupt countries in the world.
In December last year, the Ministry of Finance stated that the country is losing a third
of its national budget to corruption annually i.e. 4 billion shillings. From the reports on
corruption the amounts lost are probably much higher.
In the most recent scandal 105 billion shillings that is unaccounted for in the 2008/2009
budget. Both the Minister of Finance and the Assistant Minister had been censured
for failure to attend parliamentary sessions in which they were to issue a statement
in explanation. When the Assistant Minister did attended he stated that the matter
was under investigation by a parliamentary and therefore could not be discussed. A
response that is unsatisfactory but at the same time in keeping with status quo, in which
corruption scandals seems to met an unsatisfactory resolution, and in which there is
very little accountability…
Past scandals which still remain unresolved and in which billions or millions were lost;
Anglo Leasing Scandal in which 56.3 billion shillings lost, the 4 billion shilling Grand
Regency scandal; The Triton scandal that saw the unauthorised release of oil by Kenya
Pipeline Company and in which Triton was allowed by KPC to withdraw oil amounting
to Kshs. 7.6 billion, Goldenberg which cost more the 10% of the country’s annual GDP,
the irregular transfer of 10% of Telkom shares worth tens of million, the irregular
transaction in which government of Kenya sold its 50% stake in Safaricom in an IPO,
the theft of Kshs 300 billion by Moi and his cronies highlighted in the 110-page Kroll
Report, the missing funds for Free Primary Education, the scandal over the funds for
resettlement of internally displaced persons, the maize scandal in which no less than
four government ministries were implicated, and the list seems endless…
In all these scandal government ministries and by extension the people who run them
have been implicated very few prosecutions have taken place the few that have taken
place have been unsuccessful. Its no wonder KACC wants corruption declared a national
disaster.
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