When Daniel Arap Moi stepped down as Kenya’s leader in 2002, after 24 years in power, his chosen successor lost the presidential election to Mwai Kibaki in December that year. Kibaki’s Rainbow Alliance rode a wave of public anger over the blatant theft of Kenya’s assets by the Moi government. Billions were looted from state funds and the country lost even more when the IMF and the World Bank cut off loans and support.

Kibaki set up a public commission of enquiry into the Goldenberg scandal, the most glaring officially organised larceny by the politicians and officials. He also appointed John Githongo, a journalist and anti-corruption campaigner, as anti-corruption czar in the president’s office. These measures insured that the IMF and the World Bank resumed lending to Kenya and aid would flow again. The president also pledged to find the looted billions and bring them back to Kenya.

But President Kibaki did a deal with Moi. He let him retire in peace and did not actively investigate his affairs. In return, Moi pledged not to criticise the new government.

In an attempt to recover the billions of pounds missing from the Kenya treasury, Githongo employed Kroll, the London-based “risk advisory” company, to trace the money through western banks. The Kenyan government made a formal request to the British government and a former MI6 officer, who worked in east Africa, was commissioned to follow the trail of bank deposits from Kenya to Britain, Switzerland, Frankfurt and the Gulf states. But extraordinarily Kroll gave the management of the project to a young member of a prominent white Kenyan family, thereby putting the family — and the whole project — at grave risk.

The operation had three stages: the trace; freezing the looted funds; and their return to Kenya. The first stage was completed in 2004. The search revealed that the worst looters had been Moi’s sons, Phillip and Gideon.

While Kroll waited for payment and clearance for the next stage, Githongo told Kroll to show him the report. Kroll refused, pointing out that if their information was revealed before the accounts were frozen the Moi brothers could easily shift their funds again. Time passed and neither the order to freeze, nor the second tranche ever arrived.

It seems that a deal had been done between members of the Kenya government and Moi’s sons. The government was rapidly losing interest in past robbery anyway. In opposition Kibaki’s alliance had helped draw up a new constitution that included checks and balances to the presidency. It was supposed to be put to a national referendum but what Kibaki and his cronies had supported in opposition, did not suit them in government. They drew up a new version that did not include the main changes.

But Githongo was hard on their heels. He watched the government’s U-turn and return to business as usual with mounting horror. Realising his job — and his life — were in danger, Githongo fled the country in February 2005. The Kroll report remained locked away — until it was posted on a website this week.
Guardian