Zero tolerance for corruption
Based on the THE EAST AFRICAN BRIBERY INDEX, Rwanda is the least corrupt country in the East African Region.
The East African Common Market Protocol came into effect on 1st July, 2010 amid high enthusiasm and expectation among the citizens of the East African Community’s member states. The protocol is expected to boost trade across the five East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi by promoting the free movement of goods, services and capital. The East African Community has recorded notable strides in promoting trade among the member states. Intra-trade volumes rose by 87% in Uganda, 91% in Kenya and 65% in Tanzania between 2004 and 2008, heralding a bright future for the citizens of the bloc.
Individually, the member countries have formulated ambitious economic and social development blueprints. In Kenya the Vision 2030 seeks to convert the country into a middle income country within the next two decades. Rwanda’s Vision 2020, Vision 2025 for Tanzania and Uganda’s Poverty Eradication Plan seek to achieve similar goals. The countries have already made initial steps towards these goals especially in infrastructural development.
Central in these ambitious development plans is the promotion of good governance; a lack of which is likely to hold back the attainment of the plans. Resources earmarked for requisite extensive infrastructural development may end up in private hands through corruption. The much needed foreign investments may not be forthcoming or sustained unless good governance is actualised. It is noteworthy that Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda are at different stages of joining the league of oil producing countries. This calls for a transparent governance environment if the region is to avoid resource curse previously faced by other African countries.
The East African Bribery Index is a governance tool developed to measure bribery levels in the private and public sectors in the region. The index registers the firsthand experiences of the residents of the region with regard to service delivery and corruption. It seeks to establish the extent of bribery by seeking information on where the respondents were asked to pay bribes, if they acceded to bribery demands and the amount of bribe paid. Although the index is a tool to measure petty bribery, it is a general indicator for other forms of corruption in a particular country.
The index clearly shows that apart from Rwanda where incidents of bribery were found to be negligible, corruption is still an impediment to public service delivery in the region. Key governance and enforcement institutions such as the judiciary, the police and local authorities featured prominently in the index. Service institutions in the water, electricity, education and health sectors also dominated the top ranks of bribery-prone institutions in the region, compromising accessibility to and the quality of services offered.
It is imperative that institutions in the region scrutinise their service delivery mechanisms with a view to root out channels through which majority of the citizens are locked out of basic services thus promoting inequality and poverty. Transparency International-Kenya hopes that a deeper comparative study will be conducted in Rwanda to establish practices that have led to a negligible level of corruption.
The region will only firmly entrench itself on the path to economic and social development after inefficiencies necessitated by corruption are effectively confronted. Whether the 126 million residents of the bloc will fully enjoy the benefits of economic integration depends on how their governments respond to corruption and other governance challenges.
The Rwandan government has undertaken several legal and policy measures aimed at tackling corruption within the public and private sectors. Rwanda has also ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC)
Rwanda established an Ombudsman’s office in 2004 that monitors transparency and compliance to regulation in all governmental sectors. The Ombudsman has been instrumental in enforcing the government’s declaration on zero tolerance against corruption. It regularly exposes cases of fraud, malpractice and corruption at the top, middle and bottom levels of the public sector. This is evident through the stern action taken against a number of senior government officials implicated in corruption. In 2009, the Finance Director at the Presidency was suspended from office and sentenced to four years in prison following corruption allegations. He was further fined more than one billion Rwandan Francs (USD 1.72 million). A former top civil servant in the infrastructure ministry was given a similar fine and a total of seven years in jail for involvement in corruption-related offences in government contracts. Elected officials have not been spared either, with over 20 of the 30 District Mayors in Rwanda removed from office for alleged mismanagement. The Ombudsman’s office is also responsible for reviewing the revenue declarations submitted by top government officials including the president.
THE EAST AFRICAN BRIBERY INDEX No. COUNTRY CORRUPTION PREVALENCE
1. Burundi 36.7%
2. Uganda 33.0%
3. Kenya 31.9%
4. Tanzania 28.6%
5. Rwanda 6.6%
Table 1: Country ranking of corruption prevalence
source: www.tikenya.org/documents/EABI-2010.pdf
The East African Common Market Protocol came into effect on 1st July, 2010 amid high enthusiasm and expectation among the citizens of the East African Community’s member states. The protocol is expected to boost trade across the five East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi by promoting the free movement of goods, services and capital. The East African Community has recorded notable strides in promoting trade among the member states. Intra-trade volumes rose by 87% in Uganda, 91% in Kenya and 65% in Tanzania between 2004 and 2008, heralding a bright future for the citizens of the bloc.
Individually, the member countries have formulated ambitious economic and social development blueprints. In Kenya the Vision 2030 seeks to convert the country into a middle income country within the next two decades. Rwanda’s Vision 2020, Vision 2025 for Tanzania and Uganda’s Poverty Eradication Plan seek to achieve similar goals. The countries have already made initial steps towards these goals especially in infrastructural development.
Central in these ambitious development plans is the promotion of good governance; a lack of which is likely to hold back the attainment of the plans. Resources earmarked for requisite extensive infrastructural development may end up in private hands through corruption. The much needed foreign investments may not be forthcoming or sustained unless good governance is actualised. It is noteworthy that Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda are at different stages of joining the league of oil producing countries. This calls for a transparent governance environment if the region is to avoid resource curse previously faced by other African countries.
The East African Bribery Index is a governance tool developed to measure bribery levels in the private and public sectors in the region. The index registers the firsthand experiences of the residents of the region with regard to service delivery and corruption. It seeks to establish the extent of bribery by seeking information on where the respondents were asked to pay bribes, if they acceded to bribery demands and the amount of bribe paid. Although the index is a tool to measure petty bribery, it is a general indicator for other forms of corruption in a particular country.
The index clearly shows that apart from Rwanda where incidents of bribery were found to be negligible, corruption is still an impediment to public service delivery in the region. Key governance and enforcement institutions such as the judiciary, the police and local authorities featured prominently in the index. Service institutions in the water, electricity, education and health sectors also dominated the top ranks of bribery-prone institutions in the region, compromising accessibility to and the quality of services offered.
It is imperative that institutions in the region scrutinise their service delivery mechanisms with a view to root out channels through which majority of the citizens are locked out of basic services thus promoting inequality and poverty. Transparency International-Kenya hopes that a deeper comparative study will be conducted in Rwanda to establish practices that have led to a negligible level of corruption.
The region will only firmly entrench itself on the path to economic and social development after inefficiencies necessitated by corruption are effectively confronted. Whether the 126 million residents of the bloc will fully enjoy the benefits of economic integration depends on how their governments respond to corruption and other governance challenges.
The Rwandan government has undertaken several legal and policy measures aimed at tackling corruption within the public and private sectors. Rwanda has also ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC)
Rwanda established an Ombudsman’s office in 2004 that monitors transparency and compliance to regulation in all governmental sectors. The Ombudsman has been instrumental in enforcing the government’s declaration on zero tolerance against corruption. It regularly exposes cases of fraud, malpractice and corruption at the top, middle and bottom levels of the public sector. This is evident through the stern action taken against a number of senior government officials implicated in corruption. In 2009, the Finance Director at the Presidency was suspended from office and sentenced to four years in prison following corruption allegations. He was further fined more than one billion Rwandan Francs (USD 1.72 million). A former top civil servant in the infrastructure ministry was given a similar fine and a total of seven years in jail for involvement in corruption-related offences in government contracts. Elected officials have not been spared either, with over 20 of the 30 District Mayors in Rwanda removed from office for alleged mismanagement. The Ombudsman’s office is also responsible for reviewing the revenue declarations submitted by top government officials including the president.
THE EAST AFRICAN BRIBERY INDEX No. COUNTRY CORRUPTION PREVALENCE
1. Burundi 36.7%
2. Uganda 33.0%
3. Kenya 31.9%
4. Tanzania 28.6%
5. Rwanda 6.6%
Table 1: Country ranking of corruption prevalence
source: www.tikenya.org/documents/EABI-2010.pdf
