John Githongo
John Githongo (* 1966 in Kenya ) is a Kenyan journalist and politician. He has become known as the "anti- corruption tsar" of Kenya.
Githongo studied economics and philosophy at the University of Wales and then worked as a scientist and business advisor in Kenya before becoming a journalist. During the administration of President Daniel arap Moi , he devoted himself to the topic of bribery and corruption in his home country in the editorial office of East African .
In 1998 he took over the publication of the politically oriented business magazine "East African Alternatives", which was published by the NGO "Series for Alternative Research in East Africa" (SAREAT) of the political scientist Mutahi Ngunyi . The project collapsed when the main sponsor, the Ford Foundation , misuse of the funds by Chairman Ngunyi and the foundation's program manager, Dr. Jonathan Moyo noted. The two have been sued and the process is pending. Githongo made himself available as a witness for the prosecution.
In 1999 he and other activists founded a branch of Transparency International , an international anti-corruption organization with which he had worked for some time.
Githongo served as Secretary of State for Leadership and Ethics from January 2003 to February 7, 2005 under President Mwai Kibaki , who led an anti-corruption campaign and won the 2002 presidential election. During this time, the country's largest corruption case after the Goldenberg scandal , the so-called Anglo-Leasing scandal, occurred . In 2005 he went into exile in Great Britain , out of fear for his life (he had received death threats) and because he did not see himself emphatically covered by President Kibaki .
It appeared that the fictional company Anglo Leasing was raising funds for the upcoming 2007 election campaign of the NARC coalition, the coalition that President Kibaki brought into office in 2002. As a result, international aid funds, including German aid funds, were frozen by the governments.
Githongo played an ongoing role in the fight against corruption even in exile. He received a temporary sinecure as a "visiting scholar" at St Antony's College , Oxford . The question asked repeatedly whether he would not run as a presidential candidate in 2007, the physically heavy man always denied.
After four years in exile, Githongo returned to Kenya in 2009 to continue his fight against corruption.
Web links
- A fearless Kenyan whistle-blower (English)
- Biography: Michela Wrong : It's Our Turn to Eat. The Story of a Kenyan Whistle Blower . Fourth Estate, London 2009, ISBN 0-00-724196-8 . (German language edition: Now it's our turn: Corruption in Kenya. The story of John Githongo. Edition Tiamat, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-89320-140-2 )
Individual evidence
- ↑ "Bribery politicians are incredibly brazen", Süddeutsche Zeitung of April 30, 2009
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Githongo, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Kenyan journalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1966 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kenya |