* Sharing state power with grassroots could reduce graft
* Kenyans worried new law may not be implemented fully
By George Obulutsa
NAIROBI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - More than three quarters of Kenyans expect their new constitution to help in the fight against corruption a study showed on Monday, but some said the effort would be derailed by failure to implement the law fully.
The study by Transparency International-Kenya (TI) showed that 97 percent of respondents view corruption as a big problem in a country that has so far failed to jail senior public officials for graft.
Analysts say corruption has tarnished the East African country&${esc.hash}39;s image and stifled growth in Kenya, deterring potential investors.
"This opinion poll is really a message the Kenyan public is sending to our leaders and our parliamentarians that they must rise up to the occasion and play their role," Samuel Mbithi Kimeu, TI-Kenya executive director, told a news conference.
A TI Index in July showed Kenya was the region&${esc.hash}39;s third most corrupt nation after Burundi and Uganda, after being cast in a worse off light in the past.
The new constitution unveiled in August is meant to address, among other things, corruption, political patronage, land grabbing and tribalism, which have plagued Kenya for decades.
The law is not yet fully effective, partly because it needs several new laws to be passed.
Of the 1,438 respondents polled across the country, 75 percent thought the new constitution would help stamp out graft, but one third said the slow implementation of the new basic law and lack of its full implementation could hinder the fight.
But another 25 percent doubted that even if implemented, the new constitution would still not handle the vice effectively.
Among changes the in new constitution is the devolution of state resources, with county governments taking charge of finances previously under the control of the central government.
The study showed 59 percent of respondents believe giving locals more say in the use of resources could reduce graft, but 39 percent said it would increase corruption due to lack of management skills at the local level, nepotism and tribalism.
Sleaze has spread from politicians, to civil servants, private business and ordinary Kenyans who part with little sums of money for favours, especially in government offices.
Television news has of late highlighted clips of government anti-corruption agents catching bribe-taking officials, including one of a police officer who took to her heels after being captured in a sting on traffic police.
"We need to see people being taken to court, we need people being processed through the judicial process and we need to see justice vindicated at the end of the day," hKimeu said.
(Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
