Blitz Bureau
NAIROBI: The Kenya’s Government has asked the International Monetary Fund to conduct an official assessment of corruption and governance issues, the IMF told Reuters, after a push by Western nations.
Kenya, said a Reuters report, has struggled with debt that has reached precarious levels in recent years, and its withdrawal of proposed tax hikes earlier this year – following deadly protests – complicated its efforts to unlock a $600 million disbursement from the IMF.
Countries themselves must request the so-called “governance diagnostic”, which investigates whether corruption and governance vulnerabilities are draining revenue or creating other problems in state finances. “We have received a governance diagnostics request from the authorities,” an IMF spokesperson said in response to written questions from Reuters.
“The Government of Kenya aims to strengthen its governance and anticorruption policies. They intend to utilise these diagnostics to enhance public spending efficiency, boost competitiveness, foster growth, and reduce poverty in an inclusive manner,” said the spokesperson.
One source familiar with the situation said the assessment, while not directly linked to the disbursement, would be a show of goodwill in the country’s efforts to get its finances back on track.
Perceived government waste and corruption were a core driver of mass demonstrations in June that forced President William Ruto to withdraw $2.7 billion in planned tax increases. Kenya’s Finance Ministry did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
