Kenya expects the International Monetary Fund (IMF)to resume lending to the country by June, a government minister has told the BBC.

Kenya's foreign minister Stephen Musyoka said financial help was expected in response to the new government's campaign against corruption.

Donors had frozen financial support for the country over corruption concerns under its former President Daniel Arap Moi.

The country has been ranked by watchdog Transparency International as one of the worst offenders in the world.

The cost to its economy has been enormous.

Way of life

At his inauguration just over a month ago, President Mwai Kibaki promised that corruption would cease to be a way of life in Kenya.

Mr Musyoka has been holding talks in Washington and London over the past few days to promote the policies of the new government

He said Kenyan citizens fully support the new policies.

"One example was commuters in a minibus who came out and openly challenged a police officer not to take bribes," he told the BBC's World Business Report.

"That is the mood prevailing in the country - we want to make it a Kenyan way of life to say 'no' to corruption," he said.

Moving forward

Legislation dealing with economic crimes and corruption and public office ethics goes before parliament next week.

To set an example, a High Court judge was recently apprehended and charged with corruption.

Mr Musyoka agreed that a resumption of lending from the international institution is crucial to the recovery of Kenya's economy.

"Both the [World] Bank and the Fund are committed to working with the new administration in Kenya to very quickly restore cooperation," he said.

"We know that by June dispersements will be made and we have to negotiate with the World Bank about various tranches that had previously been agreed," he said.

Under the previous administration, privatisation was a key condition for such aid.

Although that condition has not been discussed during the current talks, it has been presumed that the privatisation programme will proceed.

"We will do so in a manner which is both transparent and beneficial to the economy," he said.