* Anti-graft body accused of failing to act
* Analyst says new constitution may help graft body
NAIROBI, July 23 (Reuters) - Lawyer Patrick Lumumba was named Kenya's new anti-corruption chief on Friday, taking the helm of an organisation criticised for failing to bring high-profile offenders to book.
Corruption has dogged Kenya for decades. There is frustration among Kenyans that senior officials are able to get away with flagrant theft while graft's stranglehold has choked growth in east Africa's biggest economy.
When people were asked what was the most important issue facing east Africa's biggest economy in a February poll, corruption came first on 38 percent, followed by political instability on 20 percent.
Lumumba replaces Judge Aaron Ringera as director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC).
Ringera was reappointed by President Mwai Kibaki last year, but quit after parliament refused to endorse him and threatened to hold up government spending bills over the row.
Ringera, who led the commission since its inception in 2003, said bad laws and a slow judicial system had hampered his efforts to end high level corruption.
Some analysts say Lumumba tarnished his reputation by venturing into politics in the 2007 elections, a disputed poll that provoked some of the worst violence in Kenya's history.
"He has absolutely no credibility in the fight against corruption. We do not know what he stands for, he is a lot of sound and no action," said Mutahi Ngunyi, a political scientist who says he is a good friend of Lumumba.
"I can sum up that he was put there for colour not action," he told Reuters.
WAIT AND SEE
According to watchdog Transparency International, Kenya is no longer perceived to be east Africa's most graft-prone nation. In a bribery index published on Thursday, Kenya was ranked third most corrupt behind Burundi and Uganda. [ID:nLDE66L0U3]
Another analyst said although Lumumba was qualified for the job, his success in turning around the KACC's reputation would depend on his ability to withstand pressure from powerful individuals.
"In the issue of calibre, he obviously qualifies for the post," said Nairobi-based economist Robert Shaw.
"The question is whether he is tough enough, strong enough, to carry out the mandate of his post without fear or favour and without bowing to the different pressures that will come at him from all directions," he told Reuters.
Lumumba served as the secretary to the defunct Constitution of Kenya Review Commission which drafted a previous constitution that was rejected by Kenyans in a 2005 referendum.
Shaw said if the country's new draft constitution is passed at a referendum on Aug. 4, it would create a better working environment for the anti-graft watchdog. [ID:nLDE66M0OC]
"So we can say his appointment comes at a propitious time. It is looking good but let's wait and see," he said.
(Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Editing by James Macharia)
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