Kenya's President William Ruto and Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, dominate the most mentioned names, as 'Most Corrupt Person of the Year'.
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), has invited users to cast their votes for the “Most Corrupt Person of the Year” as part of their annual corruption awareness initiative.
The OCCRP, is a U.S Based Non-governmental Organization, NGO, and it gives the title to an “individual or institution that has done the most to advance organized criminal activity and corruption in a given year.
Taking to their Social Media Pages, the International Watchdog posted this, " We need your nomination for Corrupt Person of the Year! For 10+ years, OCCRP has used this award to spotlight individuals who have done the most to advance organized crime and corruption around the world. Tell us your selection here.”
The OCCRP poll, known for spotlighting figures involved in significant corruption scandals, continues to draw widespread attention as users debate potential nominees.
Kenyans, took to the OCCRP post on X amplifying it, mentioning their President, while sharing the Voting link in an intense Social Media Campaign. A review on the OCCRP post, shows Majority vouched for President William Ruto, who's closely followed by President Bola Tinubu after Nigerians countered the Kenyan campaign vouching for their leader as well.
Kenya's President William Ruto, has been on the Spotlight, following the police conduct, during the Gen Z Finance Bill Protests, which led to the loss of several young Lives. His security agencies Forceful approach, alleged shooting of unarmed Protestors has been condemned by Human Rights organizations, in and Out of the East African Country.
Despite the Withdrawal of the Finance Bill, incidents of Alleged Abductions have continued to be reported with the head of state accused of allegedly suppressing Freedom of Speech by orchestrating abductions of Government Critics.
Veteran Ugandan Opposition leader was recently abducted from Nairobi, Kenya and transported to Uganda. This, has further negatively spotlighted President William Ruto's administration.
President William Ruto's administration has also had several Corruption and Conflict of Incidents this year. A recent report delved into how top government officials and politically connected individuals are allegedly benefiting from lucrative government contracts.
This has raised concerns about the administration's commitment to transparency and fairness, especially given Ruto's campaign promises to root out corruption and end favoritism in public procurement.
One of the key figures mentioned is President Ruto himself, with claims that his Weston Hotel has secured numerous government contracts for catering and other services. This ties into a broader pattern where individuals close to the administration, have allegedly influenced contract awards.
Powerful individuals like Silas Kibet Simatwo, a long-time associate of Ruto, have taken up pivotal roles within government projects, especially in health. Simatwo’s position in the Digital Health Agency (DHA) has fueled skepticism, given his history in insurance and prior business ties with the President. Such appointments raise questions about the fairness of processes and whether the selection criteria were truly based on merit.
Additionally, the controversy extends to influential figures like David Ndii, an economist, and Mary Wambui, a businesswoman, who are implicated in securing major contracts. Critics argue that the lack of transparency in awarding tenders to politically linked individuals undermines the credibility of the government’s anti-corruption agenda.
The concern is that Kenya’s public resources are being channeled to a select elite, leaving the public with the sense that the same old patterns of favoritism are in play.
This situation paints a troubling picture of Kenya’s current political landscape, where campaign pledges to clean up corruption appear to be overshadowed by reports of cronyism. As Kenyans watch these developments unfold, there's a growing call for stronger oversight mechanisms and a return to competitive and transparent public procurement processes.
According to a 2023 report by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and his associates own at least 20 properties in the UK, most of which were acquired during his tenure as governor of Lagos.
According to the OCCRP report, the governors Tinubu picked tended to be former directors of companies owned by him or his son. The former and serving governors mentioned in the report are Babatunde Fashola, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Adegboyega Oyetola.
Reportedly, Tinubu's son, Oluwaseyi, is the main shareholder of Aranda Overseas Corporation, an offshore company that purchased a controversial UK property worth US$10.8 million in 2017.
Tinubu's past is not entirely clean, as he was forced to forfeit $460,000 to the US government in 1993 as proceeds of narcotics trafficking, according to a ruling by a US District Court in Illinois. However, about a year later, Abeeb Holdings Limited, an offshore company registered in Gibraltar with Tinubu as the beneficial owner, purchased Flat 9 at 96-100 New Cavendish Street in London.
Tinubu's connection to Abeeb Holdings was revealed through the Register of Overseas Entities, a new measure designed by the UK to disclose the true owners of offshore firms that hold property in the country.
Over the years, several heads of states have been named Most Corrupt Person of the Year including Jair Bolsonaro as President of Brazil, Belarusian President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, Rodrigo Duterte President of the Philippines, Montenegrin president Milo Djukanovic, Ilham Aliyev
Azerbaijani leader and Russia's Vladmin Putin.
In the Previous year, 2022, Russia's Yevgeny Prigozhin was named the most Corrupt. Others who have made it to the list over the years are Aleksandr Lukashenko, Jair Bolsonaro, Joseph Muscat, Danske Bank, Rodrigo Duterte, Nicolás Maduro, Milo Djukanovic, Vladimir Putin, the Romanian Parliament and Ilham Aliyev.
As the Names and Nomination for the Most Corrupt Person of the year 2024 continues, Kenya's President William Ruto takes an Early lead, closely followed by Nigeria's Bola Tinubu, now we wait on who will outdo the other this year and take the Crown of Shame.