Anti-Corruption Campaigner - John Githongo

As Kenya descends further into institutionalized corruption, Richard Dowden profiles the work of the exiled anti-graft campaigner - John Githongo

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...It seems that back in Nairobi a deal had been done between members of the new Kenya government and Moi's sons. The Kibaki government was rapidly losing interest in past robbery anyway. It was too busy organising its own. 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 - known as the "Mount Kenya Mafia" - had supported in opposition, did not suit them in government. They drew up a new version that did not include the main changes. The only way they could get that through the electorate was by bribing the voters. They set up a fictitious company called Anglo Leasing, said to be developing a new passport system for Kenya, and stuffed millions into it.