US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger’s promise that his government would assist Kenya trace billions of shillings stolen from taxpayers and hidden in foreign accounts is welcome news.

Just recently, the United States and Switzerland struck a deal seeking access to UBS bank accounts of Americans suspected of taking advantage of the European country’s strict privacy laws to evade U.S. taxes. The unfolding events clearly demonstrate that corruption in Africa is not entirely an African problem. Bank secrecy laws in Switzerland, Jersey Island, Britain, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg and Austria for example, have encouraged Africa’s vampire states to bank away monies meant for their countries' development.

Whether the change of heart in European countries is genuine or motivated by China’s increasing incursion in Africa is a matter of conjecture. African countries ought to seize this momentum to probe foreign policies that have contributed to the continent’s socio-political and economic retrogression and have them addressed to the continent’s favour. The citizenry on the other hand ought to continue demanding increased accountability from their leaders.