Featuring John Githongo, Former Permanent Secretary for Governance and Ethics in the Office of the President of Kenya; with comments by George Ayittey, Distinguished Economist in Residence, American University; and moderator Marian Tupy, Assistant Director, Project on Global Economic Liberty, Cato Institute.
The election of Mwai Kibaki to the Kenyan presidency in 2002 was meant to put an end to the pervasive culture of corruption in that country. One of Kibaki’s first acts as head of state was to appoint John Githongo as his anti-corruption czar. Under Kibaki’s rule, however, corruption in Kenya continued unabated, and Githongo resigned his position in 2005 and moved to Great Britain. Githongo has implicated Kenya’s vice president and three senior ministers in a corruption racket that has cost Kenyan taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Githongo will discuss the extent of corruption in Kenya, its effect on development, and the implications for foreign aid donors.