African countries have generally handled their coronavirus response better than many experts feared, except for one detail: managing corruption.....
Kenya is the latest African nation to have its politics shaken by allegations of graft in handing out pandemic-response contracts. It follows South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Uganda, which have all been rocked by scandals of their own.
Preliminary investigations show officials who’ve illicitly benefited largely adopted similar methods: awarding contracts to companies owned by relatives or friends to supply medical equipment and services to the state at inflated prices in exchange for kickbacks. The relaxation of tender and procurement rules as governments rushed to prepare health systems for an anticipated influx of patients made it easier for funds to be misappropriated.
“Our politicians are always looking for a chance to eat and it appears the pandemic provided a good opportunity to eat,” said Griffins Omwenga, a resident of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, who works in marketing. “It is shameful to say the least.”
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