The Kenyan government has asked the International Monetary Fund to carry out a formal assessment of corruption and governance problems, two sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters, following pressure from Western countries.
Countries themselves must ask the IMF for what is called a “governance diagnostic,” which examines whether vulnerabilities in corruption and governance are draining revenue or creating other problems in state finances. .
Kenya is struggling with debt that has reached precarious levels in recent years, and its withdrawal of proposed tax hikes earlier this year – following deadly protests – has complicated its efforts to unlock a disbursement of 600 million dollars from the IMF.
One of the sources 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 was a key driver of the June protests.
Neither the IMF nor Kenya’s finance ministry immediately responded to requests for comment. Reuters first reported on Tuesday that Western countries were pushing for the IMF’s assessment.
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