2006年VOA标准英语-Kenya Still Beset by Widespread Corruption

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
24 July 2006

Just three and a half years ago, the east African country of Kenya brimmed with hope that the new government of President Mwai Kibaki would honor its campaign pledge to stamp out widespread corruption². But a new batch³ of high-level corruption scandals have only deepened Kenya's reputation as one of the most graft⁴-infested places in the world.

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Earlier this month, the Office of the President received a damning report from the government's own anti-graft agency, the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission. The report said that the majority of Kenyans believe that the ministers and other senior officials at the president's office are the most corrupt¹ officials in the country.

The findings are an embarrassment⁵ to a government that swept into power in 2002 on an anti-corruption platform and is facing re-election next year.

Two high-level graft cases under investigation⁶ right now are worth more than $1 billion - about a fifth of the state budget in one of the world's poorest countries. The scandals have forced the resignations of three government ministers this year.

Kenya's Assistant Minister of Information and Communications, Koige wa Wamwere, says the government deserves severe criticism for breaking its promise to clean up graft.

"The cases that have been investigated so far, I would call them 'the tip of the iceberg,'" said Wamwere. "And I fear that our time could run out before we do anything to correct the injustices⁷ of this corruption, which will make people very, very, very disappointed."

That disappointment already runs deep among the poor and low income wage earners, who are the hardest hit by the culture of graft in Kenya.

Twenty-nine year-old Anthony Gitua lives and works in the Kenyan capital, selling automobile⁸ insurance policies to private motorists.

The monthly commission he earns is barely enough to pay for rent and other needs. So, like many Kenyans, he is, at times, forced to borrow money from friends and family, just to pay the numerous bribes¹⁰ asked of him on a daily basis.

"I feel very angry when someone asks something of me. I have to go look for that money to bribe⁹ him so that he can do that something for me," he said. "Let me ask you. Why should it take so long to get maybe a passport, a driver's license¹¹? It is because there are people all over who want to benefit."

Nearly all Kenyans agree that corruption plays a major role in almost every part of civil society. In last year's Corruption Perceptions Index survey, Kenya ranked 144th out of 159 countries for graft.

But the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International singles out Kenya's police force as the worst of the worst. 

A Kenyan traffic police officer, second right, talks to a Matatu driver, third from right, as people look on in a busy Nairobi road, Friday, March 17, 2006  
  
Typically, a corrupt police officer will stop a person or a vehicle for a minor¹² offense¹³. Rather than issuing a ticket, the officer will offer to forget the matter in exchange for a bribe. Most of the bribes are fairly small. But Kenyans say bribe demands of $50 or more are not uncommon¹⁴.

Simon Kimutai is the chairman of the Matatu Owners Association, a Nairobi-based group that owns and operates mini-buses known as matatus.

Kimutai says corrupt officers sometimes use intimidation¹⁵ tactics to solicit¹⁶ bribes. But he says the officers also know that, many times, people will hand over money willingly to avoid having to deal with Kenya's cumbersome¹⁷, inefficient¹⁸, and corrupt legal system.

"Our justice system is so sluggish," he said. "One spends so much time in courts looking for justice. People look for easier options.

And that vicious, self-perpetuating cycle is what officials at the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission hope to break.

Smokin Wanjara is the commission's Assistant Director of Policy and Prevention Services. He says getting rid of corrupt police officers and politicians is not enough to fight corruption because it does not get to the root of the problem.

"For a long time, corruption had become almost acceptable as a way of life," said Wanjara. "The commission alone will not be able to deal with corruption unless the general public makes it very difficult for those who engage in corrupt activities."

Under Wanjara's leadership, the commission recently launched an aggressive media campaign to try to stimulate¹⁹ public debate and lessen²⁰ people's tolerance²¹ for corrupt people and practices.

"We have had to try and influence the public psyche²² to show that they in fact have the right and the responsibility to resist corrupt tendencies," he said.

Assistant Minister Koige wa Wamwere goes further, saying he believes Kenyans must also change their belief that money alone can solve the problems of poverty.

"We worship wealth. It does not matter how it has been earned. And to the extent that we worship wealth and it is the corrupt that are the most wealthy, we end up bowing to them," he said. "We end up cheering them. We end up putting them in power because that is what we want to be ourselves. And I think that is what is most tragic²³ about our situation."

It is estimated that corruption costs Kenya hundreds of millions of dollars every year in lost revenue and lost investment opportunities.

Anti-corruption advocates warn the country is also in danger of losing the respect and confidence of the international community, if Kenyan leaders fail to bring the graft problem under control.

1 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

4 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

5 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 injustices   

不公平( injustice的名词复数 )； 非正义； 待…不公正； 冤枉

参考例句：

• One who committed many injustices is doomed to failure. 多行不义必自毙。
• He felt confident that his injustices would be righted. 他相信他的冤屈会受到昭雪的。

8 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

9 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

10 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

11 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

12 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

13 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

14 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

15 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

16 solicit   

vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意)

参考例句：

• Beggars are not allowed to solicit in public places.乞丐不得在公共场所乞讨。
• We should often solicit opinions from the masses.我们应该经常征求群众意见。

17 cumbersome   

adj.笨重的，不便携带的

参考例句：

• Although the machine looks cumbersome,it is actually easy to use.尽管这台机器看上去很笨重，操作起来却很容易。
• The furniture is too cumbersome to move.家具太笨，搬起来很不方便。

18 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

19 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

20 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

21 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

22 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

23 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。