Kenya corruption activist sacked

President Kibaki has repeatedly promised to combat corruption

The head of the Kenyan office of a global anti-corruption watchdog has been sacked over allegations of financial and other irregularities.

Executive director Mwalimu Mati denied the allegations, which arose after an audit of the books of the Kenya branch of Transparency International.

Observers say the dismissal highlights the nature of problems facing Kenya.

Three senior Kenyan government ministers have resigned over corruption claims in the past few months.

Last week, another corruption scandal involving a bank and millions of dollars of missing taxes dominated the headlines.

I will be taking appropriate legal action against the members of the board who are making these allegations against me Mwalimu Mati

President Mwai Kibaki promised that his priority was to root out corruption when he came to power more than three years ago.

Irony

The BBC's Adam Mynott in Nairobi says that in a country riddled by corruption, it is hard to deny the irony of the claim that the local head of one of the world's most renowned anti-corruption agencies should be accused of exactly the practices he is supposed to be on the lookout for.

High-profile campaigns against corruption have been launched

The board of directors of Transparency International Kenya are due to hold a meeting with donors on Monday.

Mr Mati has said he will attend but the board's dismissal letter said he was barred from entering their offices until he hands over to his successor

The board said it had sacked Mr Mati because of "major anomalies and irregularities in contracts awarded to a company run by persons with links to the executive director" and the misuse of Transparency International's name for financial gain.

Mr Mati denied the allegations and said the board of directors was undermining its own authority.

"The board has lost the moral authority to comment on corruption in Kenya because they've shown that they have no respect for due process and they totally do not appreciate, or are not able to comprehend, the whole doctrine of conflict of interests," he told the BBC.

"At the end of the day, I think the allegations against me are actionable and I will be taking appropriate legal action against the members of the board who are making these allegations against me."