Widespread corruption in Kenya, from petty police bribes to major government procurement scandals, has fuelled mass protests over the past two years. (EPA Images pic)NAIROBI: Corruption is costing Kenya billions of dollars each year in lost revenue, inflated business costs, and lost earnings for workers, while taking a huge toll on investment and economic growth, the World Bank said in a report published Wednesday.

Kenya suffers corruption at every level of society -- from endless petty bribes paid to traffic police, to vast procurement scandals that go to the top of government, and it has contributed to massive protests over the past two years.

The World Bank report said the east African country is among the most corrupt of its peers among lower middle-income countries, and estimates that the governance weaknesses are adding around 370 billion shillings (US$2.8 billion) every year to Kenya's fiscal deficit, equivalent to 2% of GDP.