The war against corruption in Kenya seems to be yielding results on the opposite as the average bribe paid by Kenyans to get services shoots up.
According to a report released the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the average national bribe paid for services in the country has increased as a result of tenders and frustrations in search of jobs.
According to the data by the agency, the average bribe paid for services nationwide stood at 7,081.05 shillings in 2016 from 5,648.58 shillings in 2015.
The 25 percent increase in the average bribe in a span of one year according to the commission is as a result of people scrambling for government tenders as well as paying money to be considered for jobs.
“Obtaining tenders raked in the highest average bribe of 196,987.82 shillings followed by seeking employment with 63,687.39 shillings,” stated the EACC.
The coming of devolution has increased the scramble for tenders in various sectors within the government including construction (roads, ports, railways and the real estate projects), education and the health sector.
Many Kenyans especially the youth are also paying bribes to get employment opportunities and the rate of unemployment continues to rise. World Bank puts the unemployment rate in Kenya at 39.1 percent with 80 percent of the unemployed being the youth between the age of 18 and 30.
Kenya’s unemployment rate is the highest in the region. In Tanzania, for instance, the unemployment among the youth stands at 5.2 percent, 4 percent in Uganda while 3.3 and 3.1 percent in Rwanda and Burundi respectively.
Corruption has been rampant in Kenya with the government of the day coming under fire for failing to fight and stop the vice which was declared a ‘threat to national security’ by President Uhuru Kenyatta.