Naming the corrupt is not enough; punish them as well

Story by LUCY ORIANG'
Publication Date: 6/29/2007

LISTS OF SHAME naming the corrupt is not enough, (we must) punish them too

IN A FIT OF HONESTY THAT IS rare in these parts, the National Anti-Corruption Steering Committee confessed this week that it has barely scratched the surface of one of Kenya’s most intractable dilemmas.

On the one hand, it speaks of an overload of information on corruption. On the other, it is faced with acute inertia in the same Government it serves. Some jobs can drive you up the wall if you are not careful.

The Rev Mutava Musyimi, who leads the committee, put it this way at this week’s release of his report card: “Kenyans have lots of information regarding corruption but are afraid to speak because the Government will not act.”

Quite. This Government has made significant progress in its campaign to make life less distressing for the average Kenyan. Every day, we are given more proof that we are getting somewhere in the delivery of services.

But these are basic management matters that are soon taken for granted. They are celebrated only because of the dismal performance of previous governments, which set the leadership bar so low that Kenyans ended up with no expectations whatsoever of their government.

The true challenge of our time rests on whether or not we can conclusively slay the corruption monster. There are those who might argue that this is a long-term campaign. That corruption became a fact of life with our independence government. That it is written in our gene code. That the rot runs so deep that it will take generations to root it out.

It probably will, but we should be seen to be trying, at least. And having this and that committee, commission or authority does not qualify. They can churn out as many reports as they like; they can cry piteously about having their hands tied by every aspect of bureaucracy known to man. But Kenyans are saying loud and clear that they are not impressed. And they are 100 per cent right.

The war against corruption will not be won in boardrooms or via vernacular radio stations. It may be the right message but it is definitely the wrong target. The engineers of corruption are not the kind of audiences that sit down to an evening of social messages on radio. These deals are struck in exclusive clubs, far away from prying eyes.

The Musyimi committee will have to work harder if it is to take the battle to the right culprits. That will take a great deal of courage, given the political dimensions of corruption.

Putting out a list of shame outing the key figures in the numerous corruption scandals that continue to haunt Kenya is an excellent public relations gimmick, but there would be nothing new.

THOSE NAMES, WHICH INCLUDE even religious institutions that got public land irregularly, are already in the public domain. What is required is action, regardless of who is involved.

President Kibaki will ultimately have to face up to the ghosts of Anglo Leasing and Goldenberg and lay them to rest if Kenya is to take seriously his commitment to changing the politics of this country once and for all.

It is easy enough to streamline processes and ensure improved services to the average Kenyan. All it takes is someone with excellent managerial skills.

It takes a truly exceptional person to leave this country a lasting legacy that changes the way business is done in government circles. That will require the kind of boldness that is given to just a handful of people in the course of history.

Writing in the Press a couple of years ago, Ms Jean Kamau of the Democratic Foundation suggested Mr Kibaki would shape up as Kenya’s own Nelson Mandela. The question now is: Can he hack it without taking corruption head-on?

The choice is stark: He will have to choose between going full-throttle after those in his inner circle who are perceived to be kingpins of grand corruption and leaving a big blot in his copybook.

As long as his Government refuses to pursue high-level cases of corruption, members of the steering committee might as well stop wasting our time and money with reports that simply join a huge pile of condemnation.

It makes sense to tackle corruption, once and for all, in more ways than one. It would release more money to be spent on the social changes that the President has already committed himself to. The people would be inspired to do even more for themselves if they didn’t have to plan for kickbacks. Corruption demoralises a people, especially when they see the top level culprits get away with it.

One of the significant breakthroughs in this latest report is opening up a whole new dimension in defining corruption. The people the committee members met in their countrywide tours spoke not only of misappropriation of funds, but also of its net effect on their habitat.

They connected the dots between corruption and the many injustices they experience in their daily lives — ranging from environmental degradation to insecurity and even the explosion in child abuse and rape.

They will not be appeased by half-hearted campaigns. So publish your lists of shame and then make an example of those involved — whatever, whenever, whoever.

Ms Oriang’ is the executive editor at East African Magazines.

Ignore slums at your own peril, UN report tells policy makers

Story by An AWC-Feature
Publication Date: 6/29/2007

Sabina sits pensively in one of Africa’s largest slums, Kibera, not sure what the future holds for her or why she struggles so much for nothing.

A slum dweller sells secondhand shoes a in the shanty. Photos/FILE
Sabina sells water to some of the residents of the slum, and one may think she is doing well.

But, the State of the World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth report released in Nairobi on Wednesday, says she sits here for 11 hours a day with no pay.

The quality of the water she is selling is suspect. “The pipes, most of which leak, run through open sewage ditches. When the pressure drops, as it does most days, the pipes suck in excrement,” says the report.

The world focused on the misery of the urban poor like Sabina and the problems facing the cities they live in as the report was launched.

Sabina might be one of the many migrants to the city who end up in the slums after failing to get a good job. She suffers many disadvantages.

The slum she lives in too has to deal with neglect, since the official government position rates it as an informal settlement, whose interests rarely appear on its development agenda. More than 60 per cent of Nairobi residents live in slums.

The report, which urges urban planners to rethink the issue of informal settlements, says slum dwellers are yet to enjoy their rights, a prerequisite to ensuring they are productive actors in an urbanising world.

Influx of migrants

One of the reasons for this state of affairs, it notes, is that many of these policymakers see slums as a problem of the city caused by influx of migrants in search for limited or non-existent jobs. They end up increasing the size of slums.

But, according to the United Nations Population Fund, the agency behind the report, current urban policies that have not tapped into the potential of urbanisation for development and sustainability, are partly to blame for the problems facing people like Sabina.

And if the social, economic and environmental problems bedevilling cities such as Nairobi are not solved now; and mechanisms of dealing with future challenges put in place, the hardships of slums dwellers may reach catastrophic levels, it warns.

The report focuses on issues of urban poverty, warning of imminent doubling of urban populations, majority of whom are going to be poor people.

It calls on policymakers to focus their energies on harnessing the full potential of the urban poor and the advantages of urbanisation by putting in place various policy options and infrastructure that enable cities to thrive.

This is critical, the report notes, since, for the first time in history, 3.3 billion people, more than half of the world’s population, will be living in slums by the end of next year.

Conversely, world rural population will decrease by 28 million between 2005 and 2030.

Also, focusing on urban areas is vital because they present the best options in reducing poverty and future growth of many countries such as Kenya.

To economic experts, the realisation of the country’s Vision 2030 and other strategic policies like the Kenya Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation is going to heavily hinge on how the country’s cities and other urban centres are managed.

“The battle to reach the Millennium Development Goals of halving poverty by 2015 will be waged in the slums,” says the report.

“The potential benefits of urbanisation far outweigh the disadvantages. The challenge is learning how to exploit its possibilities.”

Unlike popular thinking by policymakers who insist on reversing urban migration by encouraging investments in the rural areas; the report says such migration should be seen as a blessing.

In fact, the increase in urban population is not as a result of migration but a natural occurrence, because more births and less deaths are recorded in urban areas.

Positive impact

According to the authors of the report, migration has a positive impact on cities than is thought by policy makers and scholars who have for many years taught students on strategies of curtailing it.

To them, good infrastructure, health, transport, communication, modern lifestyles and employment opportunities, attract huge numbers of rural people into urban centres.

Providing the same trappings of urbanisation in rural areas would discourage this movement and decongest cities.

Yet those who migrate to cities do not do so for fun. Their moves are rational decisions taken by poor people who want to uplift themselves from abject poverty. They see urban areas as their only hope.

“Urban migrants are making rational decisions. They need support to escape from poverty and, in the process, contribute to both urban and rural economic growth.”

“Cities concentrate poverty, but they also represent poor people’s best hope of escaping from it,” adds the report.

Indeed, there are many occasions in which a family has to sell their cow or poultry to raise fare for their son or daughter to go to the city to look for a job.

The decision, which is taken after much thought, is seen as progressive for the family struggling to cross the poverty line.

The report warns that by seeing urban growth as a problem of such migration, policy makers have been unwilling to accept this growth and “have tried to prevent it by discouraging migration.”

This has worked against the urban poor since such policies are ineffective and encourage the growth of slums because the Government usually cuts down on investment in housing for the poor.

Urban planners have used different strategies to try to deter rural-urban migration and discourage development of slums through forced evictions and denying them essential services such as roads, electricity, water, education, sewage, and other sanitation facilities.

Now the UN agency tells governments that “these attempts are futile, counter-productive, and in violation of people’s rights ? They have to instead pursue options that respect human rights.”

It adds that this approach to urban planning has neglected the urban poor, resulting in poverty growing faster in urban areas than rural ones. The report estimates urban poverty in Kenya to stand at between 40 and 50 per cent.

Women biggest losers

Women have been the biggest losers in this policy neglect and crushing poverty. A majority of them is subjected to gender based violence. The women look after sick relatives and ensure sanitation in difficult circumstances.

“Life in urban slums increases stress, especially for women, who are largely responsible for food, water, sanitation and household management,” says the report.

Policy makers are further expected to appreciate new problems of urbanisation such the increasing share of the urban population by elderly people.

A sizable number of pensioners is opting to stay in cities rather than retreat to rural areas where health care, leisure, and electricity, are lacking. This increase of elderly population needs the attention of policy makers.

Failure to give them a better life, the report cautions, courts poverty, insecurity, frustrations, and increases the potential for violence.

Coming up with workable policies for Nairobi and other cities will therefore help to correct unsustainable practices, sort out current problems, and prepare for future growth.

Mugabe threatens to seize foreign firms


Publication Date: 6/28/2007

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe today threatened to seize foreign companies, including mines, he accused of economic sabotage and of hiking prices as part of a campaign to oust his government.

“We will seize the mines ... we will nationalise them if they continue with the dirty tricks,” an angry President Mugabe said at the burial of a top military officer.

“All companies, we will take them over if they continue with their dirty game. Take note, we will be equal to the challenge. We are capable of playing that game too,” he said. The threat came after a government minister said yesterday Zimbabwe will transfer control of all companies, including foreign banks and some mining operations, to locals if a planned black empowerment bill is passed.

Seven years into Zimbabwe’s worst economic crisis in memory, prices have jumped 300 per cent and landlords have started charging rent in groceries.

In a country where rocketing inflation has made balancing family accounts an exercise in both frustration and futility, the sudden three-fold surge in prices of many daily goods over the past week has added a new level of desperation.

Living in hell

“It’s like living in hell,” said James Mbambo, a hotel cleaner. “You might think I am exaggerating, but I tell you sometimes, I don’t want to wake up to face these things.”

For Zimbabweans the past week marked a new low as the Zimbabwe dollar plunged further against the U.S. greenback.

The cost of some basic foodstuffs -- including bread, milk and the staple maize meal -- doubled while public transport fares jumped three-fold.

Many workers earn far below the minimum wage recommended by consumer rights groups of nearly Z$5.5 million ($336 at the official U.S. rate but $36.6 on the black market), and borrowing money from employers, relatives and friends to pay for housing and bus fare every month has become a ritual.

Refuge overseas

Many others are being subsidised by relatives who have sought economic refuge overseas since Zimbabwe’s economy started falling sharply seven years ago.

Foreign currency sent from abroad is mostly changed into Zimbabwean dollars on a black market where the rates are about 10 times those set by the country’s central reserve bank.

Small-time black market traders generally operate from city street corners and bus stations where deals are struck very quickly.

The money -- including huge wads of Zimbabwean dollars carried in satchels and bags, and sometimes in the trunks of cars -- changes hands in buildings, away from prying eyes.

CIA admits trying to kill Castro

Story by WASHINGTON, Wednesday
Publication Date: 6/28/2007

The CIA worked with two of the country’s most-wanted criminals in a botched attempt to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro in a “gangster-type action” in the early 1960s, according to documents released by the CIA on Tuesday.

The CIA declassified hundreds of pages of long-secret records that detail some of the agency’s worst illegal abuses during about 25 years of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying and kidnapping.

The documents are known in the CIA as the “Family Jewels,” and some describe the agency’s efforts to persuade Johnny Roselli, believed to be a mobster, to help plot the assassination of Castro.

A CIA official at the time, Richard Bissell, in August 1960 approached Col. Sheffield Edwards of the agency’s Office of Security to determine if Edwards “had assets that may assist in a sensitive mission requiring gangster-type action,” according to the documents.

“The mission target was Fidel Castro,” one memo said.

Roselli was believed by the CIA to have been a high-ranking member of the crime syndicate and who controlled all the ice-making machines on the Las Vegas Strip.

He was approached by a go-between, Robert Maheu, who reckoned Roselli had connections leading into Cuban gambling interests. The story Roselli was to be told was that several international business firms were suffering heavy financial losses in Cuba as a result of Castro’s action and they were willing to pay $150,000 for his removal.

“It was to be made clear to Roselli that the United States government was not, and should not, become aware of this operation,” a document said.

In documents that often read like a cheap detective novel, the story is outlined: The pitch was made to Roselli at the Hilton Plaza Hotel in New York and Roselli was initially cool to the idea. But the contact led the agency to two top mobsters, Momo Salvatore Giancana and Santos Trafficant, who were both on the U.S. list of most-wanted men.

Giancana, who was known as Sam Gold, suggested firearms might be a problem and said using a potent pill that could be slipped into Castro’s food or drink might work.

Eventually, six pills of “high lethal content” were provided to Juan Orta, identified as a Cuban official who had been receiving kickback payments from gambling interests and who still had access to Castro and was in a financial bind. (Reuters)

Fix politics to unblock the huge economic potential for growth


Publication Date: 6/28/2007

There is always a lot of uncertainty whenever a General Election is in the offing. This is not unique to Kenya as it also happens in other countries.

This year, Kenyans will face another round of elections which promise not only to be very competitive, but also to attract many candidates, especially for the parliamentary and civic seats.

The fight for the top job in the land, the presidency, promises to be gruelling although it is difficult at the moment to predict the number of contestants.

Of paramount importance are the overt and covert political and economic
policies to be pursued by whoever is elected the President in the poll to be held towards the end of the year. It has been proven worldwide that a nation is as good as its leader. This is very much like a family – it is as good as its head.

We are an up-and-coming nation, with fragile systems, numerous huge challenges (though not insurmountable) and tough political realities, but with immense opportunities economically and socially, though they remain largely untapped. To make Kenya a mid–income country, as envisaged in the Government’s plan called Vision 2030, will not require some magic.

The country is well endowed with resources, which are strategically placed. It has relatively better systems than most countries in this region. Its other qualities are a well-educated population, and a relatively free media.

Kenya will remain relatively peaceful no matter who is elected President. Kenyans love their country and hate violence, as epitomised by the alarm over the increasing insecurity fuelled by criminal gangs such as Mungiki.

The main challenges emanate from the narrow pursuit of politics for selfish interests since independence some four decades ago. This has led to the huge social and economic disparities, which have continued to inflame hate kegs and hence the rampant insecurity.

The existence of the various communities has nothing to do with the intense tribal feelings today. It has all to do with the practice of politics myopically, which has mirrored the evil colonial system of divide-and-rule or the exclusion of many for the benefit of a few.

But even with all these and more challenges, Kenya is poised for a great future. We have everything to take advantage of collectively as a nation on the threshold of a great take-off.

Investors need to re-assure themselves that this is the time to commit their resources and time to lay strategies to take advantage of the economic benefits likely to emerge sooner than later. A growth rate of more than 10 per cent every year is not hard for Kenya to achieve. This is so long as we are ready to sort out the political mess that has continued to bedevil us.

This is a great nation with very many potential leaders and many more up-and-coming ones among the political class. There is no vacuum now, and there will be none in the future. But let’s first sort out the political mess constitutionally!