Corruption
Whistle blowers have asked the government and relevant institutions to offer them protection, even as they expose corruption in the country. Speaking during the African Anti-Corruption Day marked at Kakamega County Widows Empowerment Project, they said that most of them risk their lives in their line of civil duty in exposing corrupt individuals and institutions.
They however expressed confidence in the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, which they said if passed and adopted, will be critical in fighting the unending graft in the country. Jael Omunyangoli, a Nominated MCA in Kakamega and a member of County Assembly Representative Network Against Corruption said if they lack protection, whistle blowers will be afraid to continue exposing corrupt individuals.
She said all Kenyans have a duty to fight corruption by electing leaders who are not corrupt and those who stand firm and speak against graft. A member of the County Anti-Corruption Civilian Oversight Committee Newton Wekesa said there is rampant corruption in some counties that has led to stalled projects that could have benefitted the residents.
He decried that some anti-graft institutions have been compromised putting other whistle blowers at risk if they attempt to expose corrupt individuals. “We have had cases where citizens are threatened especially by leaders in government and those with influence and have engaged in corruption,” he added.
The Coordinator of Transparency and Accountability Network in Kakamega, Thalma Marita expressed confidence that the fight against corruption will yield fruits in the country as over 220 Civil Society Organizations are aggressively empowering citizens and holding duty bearers to account.
She said CSO’s have been supported to identify and fight corruption through a five-year project dubbed, Tupigane na Ufisadi(TUNU) project that is being implemented in 11 counties in Kenya.
“In the TUNU project, there is a segment for legislators under the County Assembly Representatives Network Against Corruption (CANAC), the media and integrity clubs in schools. We believe that a multi-faceted approach in fighting corruption will realize better results,” she added.