Bribery in police service falls, rises in judiciary Report

Bribery in the police service dropped by about ten points but increased in the judiciary, according to a Transparency International (TI) report that was released on Thursday.

The East Africa Bribery Index Trends Analysis 2010-2014 shows that the Police, Judiciary, Registry and Licensing Services, Lands Services and Tax Services are the most affected sectors in the past five years.

TI Kenya chapter Executive Director Samuel Kimeu said according to the report, the proportion of respondents who believed corruption levels would decrease in the subsequent year fell sharply from 46 percent in 2013 to 27percent in 2014.

The report also showed that the lands sector performed poorly in the last five years, with the share of national bribes almost doubling from 10 percent to 18 percent.

In the findings, the aggregate score on bribery in the police sector fell by about 10 points across the study period.

However, bribery levels remained high and the police sector, which was ranked highest in the most bribe prone institutions in Kenya.

Transparency International has recommended that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s (EACC) operational and institutional independence to deliver on the anti-corruption mandate be strengthened.

TI also noted that the role played by the Public Procurement Oversight Authority should be reviewed with a view to determine its efficacy in ensuring probity in public expenditure.

TI Kenya further stated that the efforts to respond to petty bribery in public administration should be strengthened at county level.

“There is need to strengthen the Leadership and Integrity Act to ensure the spirit of the Constitution is fully captured. Additionally, oversight institutions like the Office of the Auditor General need to be strengthened to properly execute their mandate,” noted TI Kenya.