Kenya is eligible for funds for its poverty alleviation programmes, but corruption in its government may hinder its access.
The claim is, according to Mr. Sean Cairncross, the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) who spoke during an interview recently.
Mr Cairncross revealed that despite Kenya’s eligibility for the funds, the prevalent bribery and kickbacks in tendering synonymous with the country’s government could delay its acquisition of the funds.
“One of the hurdles on our scorecard is the corruption indicator and so we recognize that in creating a dynamic economy and a market that is going to benefit the citizens of a country and reduce poverty through economic growth, corruption is a major constraint,” Mr. Carincross said in Nairobi on Thursday.
“With respect to Kenya, that is one of the issues that we are engaged in. We are kicking off programme development, so we don’t have yet a programme design and don’t know what that is going to look like.”
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) boss also added that Kenya must demonstrate noticeable improvements in governance to access the funds.
Kenya was ranked 137 out of 180 countries on the latest Corruption Perceptions Index published by global watchdog Transparency International. The ranking further goes on to indicate that corruption in the country is on the rise and must be checked to achieve sustainable development.
The claims are coming just a few days after Kenya was named as one of the countries to be considered for investments from the U.K.
President Uhuru Kenyatta led a delegation of leaders and businesspeople to the UK-Africa Investment Summit with Kenya eyeing investments for the ‘Big Four Agenda’, continued trade and multilateral deals with the post-Brexit United Kingdom and deepening of political ties.
The historic summit will bring together at least 20 African Heads of State, ambassadors, high commissioners as well as captains of industry.
It is no surprise that U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson invited Kenya to the summit. The country is solidifying its existing positions.
As one of the stable political corners in Africa, it enjoys a multitude of bilateral and multilateral agreements covering security, development and intelligence sharing.
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Header Image Credit: France 24