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Nairobi among top 5 counties where you will likely be asked for bribe

Integrity Centre in Nairobi, the headquarters of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). (Photo: File)

By Amina Wako | Wednesday, March 27, 2024

EACC report uncovers alarming trends hampering President William Ruto's bid to protect public resources and improve service delivery.

Busia, Baringo, Nairobi, Nakuru, and Machakos are the five most bribery-prone counties in Kenya, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) revealed in a report on Wednesday following a survey.

The EACC released the National Ethics and Corruption Survey (NECS), 2023, which uncovers alarming trends in bribery that are hampering President William Ruto's bid to protect public resources and improve service delivery.

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The NECS 2023, which provides data on graft and other unethical conduct, offers crucial insights into the prevalence and impact of corruption in the country, and the resultant challenges in public service delivery.

The report says that each time a service is sought in Busia, one is likely to be asked for a bribe 2.02 times, with the rates in Baringo, Nairobi, Nakuru and Machakos counties being 1.34, 1.12, 1.11 and 1.09, respectively.

Service seekers in these counties are likely to encounter demands for bribes to access essential services, the report said, adding that the impact of bribe payments varied across counties, with Bungoma standing out as having the highest impact.

Nandi (0.50), Nyeri (0.49), Vihiga (0.47), Embu (0.43) and Lamu (0.40) were found to be the least bribery-prone counties, with significantly lower probabilities of being asked for bribes.

In Nyeri, Mandera, Embu, Marsabit, and Kericho counties, the EACC further said, individuals were likely to miss out on services despite paying a bribe, a circumstance that highlighted the inefficiencies and corruption embedded within these parts.

The survey also provided insights into the financial toll of bribery, with respondents paying the largest amounts in West Pokot (Sh56,695) followed by Nairobi (Sh37,768), Murang’a (Sh18,378), Kisii (Sh16,810), Uasin Gishu (Sh11,136), Kitui (Sh9,849), Busia (Sh7,468) and Tharaka-Nithi (Sh7,041).

Respondents paid the least amounts in bribes in Marsabit (Sh902), Kericho (Sh681), Kakamega (Sh538), Tana River (Sh505) and Kilifi (Sh162).

The NECS report indicates widespread dissatisfaction with integrity, transparency, and accountability in public service delivery, with corruption ranking as the fourth most pressing problem in the country, after the high cost of living, unemployment, and poverty.

Overall, 34.4 per cent of the 5,100 respondents from 510 clusters across all 47 counties say they were asked to pay a bribe when they sought government services, with 28.3 per cent of them complying.

Nyamira, Baringo, Siaya, Bungoma and Turkana were the counties where bribery was most prevalent, with all respondents who sought services paying a bribe.

The report stated that greed (42.8 per cent), a desire for quick services (5.4 per cent), poverty (4.9 per cent) and culture (3.4 per cent) were the major causes of corruption in the public service sector.

"Hampered economic growth (24.4 per cent), poor living standards (17.8 per cent) and an increase in the cost of living (15.1 per cent) were perceived as the leading effects of corruption in the country," it said.