Kenya renews fight against corruption
President Uhuru Kenyatta is pushing ahead with an anti-corruption drive that involves a new chief prosecutor – Noordin Mohamed Haji – and a re-energised Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. Efforts to tackle corruption have increased following the disputed presidential election result of late 2017 and subsequent symbolic handshake in March 2018 when president Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga settled their main differences and brought to a close a period of heightened political instability. The authorities are investigating various high-profile figures in the legal, political and business arenas. President Kenyatta appears committed to setting a more solid framework to tackle corruption, not least because he views this as his potential legacy once his term comes to an end in 2022. Kenyatta has ordered a new lifestyle audit of all public servants to unearth discrepancies between their positions and material wealth. Although efforts are being made and intentions are good, corruption is well entrenched in Kenya’s political and business environments. There is a risk that the momentum behind anti-corruption policies will quickly wane and corruption will remain a key challenge facing businesses trading with or investing in Kenya for some time to come.