Intrinsic and Extrinsic Mechanisms for Controlling and Combating Corruption in the Healthcare Sector: A Comparative Study of Kenya and Tanzania

Despite the passage of anti-corruption laws such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC), and the adoption of national anti-corruption measures, the fight against this vice is still a challenge. No sector is free from its destructive effects. Among other entitlements, corruption has compromised the right to healthcare. Granted, Kenya and Tanzania have adopted legal mechanisms to deal with corruption. While these anti-corruption mechanisms appear robust on paper, implementing the law has been problematic. To combat corruption, what are some of the measures that concerned persons can take? This article answers this question. Prior research has discussed corruption in general and in the health sector. Even so, studies that draw on fieldwork are few. So, too, are the comparative works that focus on Kenya and Tanzania. This article fills these gaps. It undertakes an in-depth comparative analysis of measures human rights defenders can take to curb corruption. It argues that these countries should adopt extrinsic and intrinsic measures to combat graft. If they fail to implement these measures, corruption will continue to undermine people's access to healthcare.