Leakey steps down in Kenya

The man who was appointed to head the civil service in Kenya, with a brief to root out corruption and inefficiency, has been replaced.

A statement from the office of President Daniel Arap Moi said it had been agreed that the civil service chief, Richard Leakey, should stand down immediately.

Correspondents say it's widely believed that Doctor Leakey, a third-generation white Kenyan, was picked for the job in 1999 to win back international donors, who had suspended funding because of corruption.

But there has been speculation in Kenya that he was carrying out his brief too diligently and had offended some senior people.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service