Business Books: Corruption drains Kenya as donors turn blind eye
LONDON (Reuters) - Kenya's rulers plundered their country to enrich themselves and preserve an ethnic clique's hold on power while Western donors turned a blind eye and kept the aid flowing, according to a new book.
In "It's Our Turn to Eat" (Fourth Estate, 12.99 pounds), journalist Michela Wrong delves into the corruption that has poisoned African societies, put a brake on development and discouraged investment.
It is certain to stir controversy in Kenya, where a power-sharing government, formed less than a year ago after post-election bloodshed in east Africa's biggest economy, has been embroiled in a new series of corruption scandals.
"These are not merely Kenyan issues. Ethno-nationalism is emerging as Africa's most toxic problem, challenging the continent's very post-colonial structure," the author writes.
The book centers on the struggle of Kenyan anti-corruption whistleblower John Githongo, who turns up on Wrong's London doorstep with stacks of evidence of graft and afraid of potential retribution by those he stands to expose.
Suspense-filled passages track Githongo's efforts, which start in 2002 with his appointment by President Mwai Kibaki to help lead the fight against corruption -- which had been at the center of Kibaki's election campaign.
As Githongo unearths details of the Anglo Leasing scandal, in which millions of dollars were paid to phantom firms, the circle of the accused widens to include many top officials, members of the Kikuyu tribe, to which both Githongo and Kibaki belong.
The book, to be published in Britain on February 23 and in the United States by HarperCollins in June, ties together the personal theft with the determination of an elite from the Kikuyu tribe never to let power slip.
The portrayal of Githongo, one of a rare breed of corruption fighters in Africa, is not always sympathetic.
He often appears indecisive, as well as naive for failing to realize how far the responsibility reaches as he secretly tapes officials, sometimes laughing with them as they discuss plans for diverting state funds.
LAUGHTER
"I would always respond by trying to make a joke of it," Githongo is quoted as saying.
"It was the only way. If you fell silent and the room went quiet then ... Then you would have to deal with the uncomfortable realities as they had just been presented."
The book paints a damning picture of a country that was long regarded as one of the continent's most stable and a favorite of Western governments and donors.
Those donors emerge looking particularly tarnished, from World Bank officials cozying up to the administration to the British state aid agency, whose main concern is presented as being to meet its targets for handing out money. Continued...
