AfriCOG Report Points To State Capture in Kenya

The Nairobi-based NGO the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) has this week published a report detailing state capture in Kenya and the union between corruption and politics.

The report, entitled ‘State Capture, Inside Kenya’s Inability to Fight Corruption’, suggests that elites and private interests are using their positions to call the shots and that state capture has led to the theft of public resources. It also states that while the State might talk tough on corruption that there are many activities and behaviours behind the scenes that undermine the fight against it.

"Successful State capture networks in Kenya have had two elements. One on the bureaucratic side, a coterie of favoured officials allowed to accumulate and exercise power in completely unaccountable ways often behind the shield of presidential privilege, State security or defence procurement.

"On the business side, there is often a clique of local businessmen allied to political insiders, or alternatively, the favoured groups are shadowy, international companies whose shareholders are known," the report reads. 

The report also sets out concerns that in the run up to 2022 elections publicity-drive prosecutions could actually worsen corruption by politicising the process.

Commenting on the threat constitutional lawyer and author of the report Wachira Maina stated, "The war against graft has been too activity-driven and has become a tool for resolving Jubilee's internal problems. We have adopted a capture, mark and release mentality and this war cannot be won by using the same old tired means that have been tried and defeated in the past."