Regarding the endemic culture of corruption that continues to grow from one generation to the next, I have come to observe that catching corruption after it happens does not carry much consequence in our country. This situation arises from multiple factors ranging from ineptitude to corruptible elements in the institutions tasked with the duty to fight the vice. And this leads me to suggest a simple system that could help stop corruption before it happens. This system would attempt to embrace total transparency in all tendering processes by use of information technology where the public can scrutinize all dealings and raise queries openly. In this case, the entire tendering process would be open to the public through online platforms such that anyone can access the tender submissions and details of all competing bidders as well as the tender requirements. This way, the public can raise alarm on outrageous or suspicious events. There is always a member of the public who can tell when something is not right. For instance, you may not know what a car battery looks like but there will always be a bald mechanic who knows it should not cost 20,000. Believe me, for every transgression or theft that happens on public funds, there is always at least one person who knows and feels bad about it, but they do not know what to do. Such knowledge remains in circulation in the form of rumors. The benefit of a transparent system is that the attempted crime would be stopped before it happens, and not many people would stomach the thought of paying for a crime they were yet to commit. After all, they would not have the means to compromise the policing agents.
This system would be implemented at all levels of public procurement. In fact, the worst abuse of the tendering process happens at the lowest levels. And this is where the system would be most effective because the people on the ground can see things no document can reveal. For example, when some dirt road is undergoing rehabilitation in some quiet location, it is impossible to tell what needs to be done, for how much and by who. If such information could be available openly, an average citizen can tell that some drainage works have been overlooked or that some sections have been left out. Similarly, the local population can easily tell that the winning contractor is a cousin or relative to some influential official somewhere. I have seen many roads left unmarked despite the contractors receiving payment for the same. You also would not know that some very expensive roads in this country are constructed at the behest of and to the benefit of individuals. Such information is hard to come by without expending considerable energy. The crux here is to extinguish the opaqueness that encourages theft to thrive.
In closing, naomba admin aweke forum ya corruption ili tusaidiane kunukisha kitunguu.
You are right.
The example you’ve given about roads is very apt. In a county i know, the standard in improvement of rural access roads is to use only 40 percent of the quantities of murram in the BQ. That way, in spite of saving on the cost of murram and transporting it, they save 60 per cent on the manual labour, machine hours for the grader and roller used in spreading and compacting it.
The community is left with a substandard road the will provide another opportunity in three to four years time but the 60 per cent “saving” is spread across the food chain that includes the works engineer (determining the size of cake), procurement honcho(ensuring the works go to friendly contractor [thief]) county auditor (verifying the 100 loads of murram have been dumped), Accountant (for expediting and prioritizing payment), the County Assembly infrastructure committee (for not asking awkward questions). The Executive for finance periodically ensures from all these the governor gets a fat envelope for harambees.
A young man who was encouraged to form a construction co. in 2013 comfortably donated 10m to the governor’s re-election kitty and the gov who was re-elected has introduced him to the newly elected gov of the neighbouring county.
Roads seem to be a favorite target due to the difficulty in quantifying value during and after the construction process. In some areas,the amounts spent to construct and maintain dirt roads in a few years is enough to construct low-volume tarmac roads.
Technology does not rule out human element which is the major influence as far as corruption is concerned, there have been people grumbling ever since technology was introduced, be it IEBC, KRA, IFMIS, Immigration, NTSA, NRB, etc. Provided there are people who are not well informed, some clever person will take advantage of these people to corrupt the system for their benefit.