20101011
reuters

NAIROBI (Reuters) - More than three quarters of Kenyans expect their new constitution to help in the fight against corruption a study showed on Monday, but some said the effort would be derailed by failure to implement the law fully.

The study by Transparency International-Kenya (TI) showed that 97 percent of respondents view corruption as a big problem in a country that has so far failed to jail senior public officials for graft.

Analysts say corruption has tarnished the East African country's image and stifled growth in Kenya, deterring potential investors.

"This opinion poll is really a message the Kenyan public is sending to our leaders and our parliamentarians that they must rise up to the occasion and play their role," Samuel Mbithi Kimeu, TI-Kenya executive director, told a news conference.

A TI Index in July showed Kenya was the region's third most corrupt nation after Burundi and Uganda, after being cast in a worse off light in the past.

The new constitution unveiled in August is meant to address, among other things, corruption, political patronage, land grabbing and tribalism, which have plagued Kenya for decades.

The law is not yet fully effective, partly because it needs several new laws to be passed.

Of the 1,438 respondents polled across the country, 75 percent thought the new constitution would help stamp out graft, but one third said the slow implementation of the new basic law and lack of its full implementation could hinder the fight.