The Presidency
Uhuru Kenyatta served as president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. He was the son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president. The Kenyatta family's prominence, including their substantial land holdings from the earlier era, continued into Uhuru's presidency.
During Uhuru's term, multiple corruption scandals emerged, suggesting that corruption continued under new leadership despite promises of reform.
The Eurobond Controversy
In 2014, Kenya issued a Eurobond (international bond) worth USD 2 billion. The proceeds were intended for government budget support and infrastructure investment.
Opposition figures, particularly Raila Odinga, alleged that approximately USD 1 billion of the Eurobond proceeds had been stolen. The allegation was that the money was diverted to private accounts, likely benefiting government officials.
The government denied the allegation. Investigation and accountability for the Eurobond issue were minimal. By the end of Uhuru's term, the controversy had not been resolved, and the alleged stolen funds had not been recovered.
Public Debt Expansion
Uhuru's presidency saw massive expansion of Kenya's public debt. The debt increased from approximately KES 2 trillion in 2013 to over KES 8 trillion by 2022. Much of this debt was taken on through international borrowing.
While some of the borrowed funds went to legitimate infrastructure projects, the pace of debt accumulation raised concerns about the transparency of borrowing and the efficiency of resource use.
Standard Gauge Railway Procurement Opacity
One major investment was the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), a passenger and freight railway from Mombasa to Nairobi and beyond. The contract for the SGR was awarded to China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a Chinese state-owned company.
The procurement process raised multiple concerns:
- Lack of competitive bidding: The contract was awarded to CRBC in what appeared to be a government-to-government arrangement without competitive tendering
- Inflated costs: The cost of the SGR was estimated at approximately USD 3.8 billion for the first phase (Mombasa to Nairobi). This raised questions about whether the costs were inflated
- Lack of transparency: The terms of the contract with CRBC were not publicly disclosed
- Debt servicing burden: The debt taken on to finance the SGR created a large fiscal burden for subsequent governments
By the early 2020s, the SGR was underperforming financially. It required government subsidies to continue operation. The efficiency of the project and whether it represented value for money remained questioned.
The NYS Scandal
The National Youth Service scandals of 2016 and 2018 occurred during Uhuru's presidency. Multiple investigations documented that billions of shillings intended for youth employment had been stolen.
Despite exposure of the scandal, prosecution of those responsible was minimal. This suggested either weakness in the justice system or protection of perpetrators by government officials.
NHIF and Healthcare Corruption
Multiple NHIF scandals during Uhuru's term involving theft from the healthcare fund reached billions of shillings.
The Afya House Scandal
Afya House is a government office complex in Nairobi. Its construction involved government expenditure that subsequently came under scrutiny for potential fraud and mismanagement.
Systemic Continuation
The various scandals during Uhuru's presidency suggested that corruption was not unique to previous administrations. Rather, it appeared to be a systemic feature of Kenyan governance continuing across administrations.
The scandals also suggested that anti-corruption promises made by Uhuru (he had campaign on an anti-corruption platform) had not been matched by action.
The ICC Charges
Uhuru Kenyatta had faced International Criminal Court (ICC) charges for his alleged role in post-election violence in 2007-2008. These charges were eventually withdrawn, but the experience may have influenced his approach to corruption.
Some observers suggested that Uhuru's government was reluctant to aggressively prosecute corruption because doing so might create a precedent for prosecution of senior officials, which could implicate Uhuru himself.
Lack of Accountability
By the end of Uhuru's term, major scandals (Eurobond, SGR, NYS, NHIF) had been exposed but not meaningfully prosecuted. This pattern suggested institutional weakness in Kenya's accountability mechanisms.
Sources
- Kenya Bureau of Investigation. "Eurobond Inquiry Report." 2015. https://www.cid.go.ke
- Parliamentary Committee on Finance. "Inquiry into SGR Procurement and Costs." Parliament of Kenya, 2018. https://parliament.go.ke
- Auditor General Kenya. "Annual Audit Reports: Infrastructure and Public Borrowing." 2013-2022. https://www.oag.go.ke
- Transparency International Kenya. "Corruption in the Uhuru Era: Institutional Continuities." 2020. https://www.ti-kenya.org
- Daily Nation. "Eurobond Controversy: Billion Dollars Unaccounted For." News archives. https://www.nation.co.ke