Corruption and Human Rights: The Right to Food in Kenya

The fight against corruption is vital to the human rights movement. Anti-corruption activist and human rights campaigners share the common goals of eliminating the corruption and bribery that denies people the rights and services they are entitled to. While human rights and corruption are not always connected, the increased use of corruption in the form of abuse of political, economic, social and cultural power means that the connections between the two are growing stronger. Yet, anti-corruption and human rights movements tend to work in parallel rather than together. The current paper will use the theoretical framework put forward by Transparency International and the International Council on Human Rights Policy to analyse the mechanics of corruption and the violation of one of the most fundamental human rights, the right to food, in Kenya. Through this example, the paper will explore how the human rights framework can add value to the anti-corruption work and how corrupt practices violate human rights. The paper will conclude by identifying opportunities for collaboration between human rights and anticorruption organizations to deal more effectively with food security in Kenya.