Eighty-one per cent of respondents in a survey by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission stated that corruption, poor service delivery, tribalism, shoddy implementation of projects and embezzlement of funds are rampant in the counties.
Garissa topped the most corrupt county governments followed by Kisii, Nyamira, Narok, Marsabit, Murang’a, Bomet, Nairobi, Kiambu and Homa Bay while public officers in Nandi, Kericho and Machakos were perceived to be the least corrupt.
1. Garrisa County
Garissa County is in the former North Eastern Province of Kenya. The county was ranked number one corrupt county in Kenya. The County is most known for Garissa town which has been bestowed the title of the safest town in Eastern and Central Africa. Its capital town is Garissa. Garissa County has a total population of 623,060. A male population of 334,939 and a female population of 288,121 (census 2009).
2. Kisii County
The second most corrupt county is Kisii County, one of the forty seven Counties of Kenya. It shares common borders with Nyamira County to the North East, Narok County to the South and Homabay and Migori Counties to the West. The County lies between latitude 00 30’ and 100 South and longitude 340 38’ and 350 East. It covers an area of 1,302km2, a population of 1,152,282 people as per the 2009 census.
3. Nyamira County
Nyamira County is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya. It was formerly part of Kisii County when Kisii County was a district, and is sometimes called North Kisii County. The main cash crops grown are bananas and tea. The county has a population of 598,252 (2009 census). Its capital and largest town is Nyamira, with an urban population of around 41,668. Its the 3rd most corrupt county.
4. Narok County
Narok County has a population of 850,920. Its capital and largest town is Narok. The governor of Narok county is Samuel Kunta.
The County is 4th leading corrupt county in Kenya.
5. Marsabit County
At number five is Marsabit County. Covering a surface area of 70,961 square kilometres Marsabit is the largest county in Kenya. Its capital is Marsabit and its largest town is Moyale. The county has a population of 291,166.
6. Murang’a County
Its largest town is Murang’a its capital, called Fort Hall in colonial times (before 1963). It is inhabited mainly by and is considered the home of the Gikuyu, the largest community in Kenya. The county has a population of 942,581
7. Bomet County
Bomet County is the 7th most corrupt county in Kenya.County Government of Bomet is a county in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya it was created from the former Kericho district through Kenya gazette supplement no. 53 of 1992. It has a population of 724,186 and an area of 1,630.0 km2
8. Nairobi county
Nairobi county is t\he smallest yet most populous of the counties, it is coterminous with the city of Nairobi, which is also the capital and largest city of Kenya. its 8th most corrupt county.
9. Kiambu county
Kiambu County is a county in the former Central Province of . Its capital is Kiambu and its largest town is Thika. The county is adjacent to the northern border of Nairobi County and has a population of 1,623,282. Its governor is William Kabogo. The county is 40% rural and 60% urban owing to Nairobi’s consistent growth Northwards. Kikuyu are the dominant tribe in the county. Kiambu is the 9th most corrupt county in Kenya.
10. Homa Bay County
Closing the list at the 10th position is Homa Bay County. Homa Bay is a county in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Homa Bay. The county has a population of 963,794 (2009 census) and an area of 3,154.7 km². Homa Bay County boasts of Lake Victoria as a major source of livelihood.
“Further analysis by county reveals nine out of 10 respondents in Garissa county observed some form of corruption being practised by public officers followed by Kisii (78.99%), Nyamira (75.23%) and Marsabit (71.01%). On the other hand, Nandi (4.95%), Kericho (5.62%) and Machakos (6.86%) recorded the least observations of corrupt practices in public offices,” the National Ethics and Corruption Survey 2015 says.
Murang’a topped the counties with the highest average of times a bribe was demanded by a county official.
It was followed by Embu, Bomet, Kisii , with Wajir coming as fifth most likely county where officials sought bribes.
In Elgeyo Marakwet for instance, it was noted there is negative ethnicity, where non Keiyos or Marakwets are marginalised by not being favoured in bursaries. A case in point is a Luo man married to a Kamba whose children were denied bursaries yet they were bright.
The governor and senator are both from Marakwet so Marakwets are favoured in employment.
In Kakamega, there was procurement irregularities, bribery, abuse of office and embezzlement of funds between Sh5 million and Sh10 million in procurement offices of all county departments. This is attributed to high competition among traders and suppliers in procurement.
Bomet was noted for high wastage because of existing loopholes and lack of a monitoring committee to oversee the use of funds at the county government level. County government officials are also not protected due to the powers vested in governors.
West Pokot county leaders are accused of engaging in rampant corruption and acquiring plots in the county, Kitengela and Trans Nzoia with proceeds of corruption. The executives cited as the most corrupt are building apartments in West Pokot’s Bendera area. School building projects and hotel for county assembly were only initiated to get kickbacks from the contractors.
The survey indicates nepotism is rampant at the Turkana government in the employment of county workers. Only those perceived to be politically correct are employed, some without being interviewed because they have bribed officials. Areas which voted in a person in office are more developed than others.
