The fight against corruption in Africa has taken a powerful new turn. Kenya’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has entered into a strong partnership with South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to tackle corruption cases that cross national borders.
This new alliance was announced on Thursday, August 14, during a high-level meeting at the EACC headquarters, the Integrity Centre in Nairobi. The event brought together top officials from both countries to seal their commitment to this joint mission.
EACC Chief Executive Officer, Abdi Mohamud, welcomed the South African delegation and stressed the urgent need for nations to work together in fighting corruption that spills across borders.
“The fight against corruption knows no boundaries. Through strategic partnerships such as this, we strengthen our collective capacity to safeguard public resources, uphold integrity, and restore public trust,” Mohamud told the gathering.
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The South African team was led by Andy Mothibi, the Head and Chief Executive of the SIU, who is also the Vice President of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA).
Mothibi praised the partnership, calling it a valuable opportunity to learn from each other and build stronger anti-corruption systems in the region.
“This is a valuable platform for benchmarking, exchanging best practices, and strengthening partnerships across Commonwealth Africa. We are excited to work closely with EACC,” Mothibi said.
The two nations have already identified key areas of cooperation. These include capacity building, joint training programs, the exchange of technical expertise, staff development, and collaborative research on anti-corruption strategies.
Such initiatives are expected to create stronger investigative teams, better trained personnel, and more efficient systems to recover stolen assets and prevent future corruption.
Kenya and South Africa will also set up a formal mechanism to ensure continuous engagement and knowledge sharing. This means the partnership will not be a one-time event, but an ongoing collaboration aimed at producing real, measurable results.
Kenya is no stranger to international anti-corruption partnerships. Since 2003, the country has been a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which has helped Kenya focus on high-impact corruption cases, asset recovery, and involving civil society in transparency efforts.
In May 2024, Kenya hosted a major regional conference that brought together anti-corruption agencies from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia.
The conference tackled issues such as asset recovery, whistleblower protection, integrity in public procurement, and the role of the private sector in fighting corruption.
EACC has been firm in its promise to eradicate corruption in Kenya. Over the years, it has implemented tough measures aimed at stopping the vice and promoting transparency in both the public and private sectors.
However, corruption cases that involve multiple countries have always posed a bigger challenge, as criminals take advantage of weak links in international law enforcement.
With this Kenya-South Africa alliance, both countries hope to close these gaps and ensure that corruption suspects cannot hide or move stolen money across borders without facing justice.
Experts believe that this partnership could set an example for other African nations to work together and create a united front against corruption.
The message from Nairobi was clear: corruption is a regional problem that demands regional solutions, and Africa can win this fight by standing together.
If the alliance succeeds, it could mark a turning point in Africa’s long battle against graft, making it harder for corrupt officials and businesses to operate with impunity.
Both Mohamud and Mothibi expressed optimism that this cooperation will deliver results and restore faith in public institutions. For citizens, this is a signal that the tide may finally be turning against corruption.
