Grand corruption exposed

In Kenya, the word “eat” is often used to mean “consume money”, and there is a vast amount of eating described in Michela Wrong’s book It’s Out Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle Blower. The book is about John Githongo, a former journalist who was the head of the Kenyan branch of Transparency International, who was appointed Permanent Secretary for Governance and Ethics in January 2003 by the new Kenyan President Kibaki, who had campaigned on a strong anti-corruption platform.

President Moi had ruled Kenya for 24 years, and his government had been known for its corruption, which particularly favoured Moi’s ethnic group, the Kalenjin. It took only a few months after the new government was elected for insiders to become aware that the extent of corruption was to be undiminished, but it was now to favour the Kikuyu, Kibaki’s ethnic group. Githongo happened to be a Kikuyu himself, so it was naturally assumed that his conscience would be willing to bend in favour of tribal loyalty.

When Githongo refused to accede to the corruption he started receiving death threats, eventually resulting in his exile to England. He had taken the precaution of secretly recording incriminating conversations, and there was a great deal of interest when he published these recordings. A couple of Kenyan ministers were sacked before being reinstated 6 months or so later. Some foreign aid was stopped as a result of the scandal, but the Make Poverty History campaign and lobbying from celebrities has made donor governments more concerned about pushing aid out the door than whether it is being used productively, so much of the aid has been restored. The book is well written and very entertaining, but the culture of impunity in Kenya for corrupt politicians continues.