In the modern world, enforcement of public ethics is synonymous with fighting corruption…bribery, influence peddling, conflict-of-interest, extortion, nepotism, fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, pay-offs, kickbacks etc. Corruption is a complex web that threatens and entangles value systems, professional ethos and discipline.
From an ethical viewpoint corruption thrives when public officials have wide authority with little accountability, when they enjoy perverse incentives, when they have a large latitude on prerogatory or discretionary powers, when the statutes protect their action or inaction by the ‘magic’ state security and if they know that they are unlikely to be caught.
If officials also realize that even if their abuse of public trust is detected, they are likely to go scot-free or they may not be promptly prosecuted they will continue to perpetuate corrupt practices. When they know that the benefits of corruption supersede the risk of exposure, when they are sure that they will not lose their jobs nor face social stigma even if they are exposed and when they feel there is no strong political will to fight corruption, they will breed more and more corruption.
In confronting these malpractices, IGI seeks to raise the level of openness, effectiveness, efficiency and equity in resource generation, allocation and management. The initiative involves engaging the government in mainstreaming ethics and integrity in all its programs and operations and stimulating the ordinary people to identify, oppose and report all appearances of corruption.
IGI defends public ethics and integrity through building momentum to overcome institutional resistance to change, embarking on country-specific accountability drives to promote and reward good practices, investigative and diagnostic training, publicity, information sharing and perception surveys, and promoting enforcement and early detection measures.
Mr. Lawrence Muiruri (Program Advisor)
He is a state attorney with the Attorney General’s department in Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a Bachelors degree with a major in Economics from the University of Panjab and a graduate degree in law from the University of Mysore, India. He practices in civil and commercial law, arbitration, alternative disputes resolution, child protection, rights advocacy and good governance. He is married to Karen; they are Christians and members of the Trinity Baptist Church in Nairobi. Muiruri advises on anti-corruption laws, value systems and related investigations.