Loading...
[Global corruption report 2003] East africa
Mwenda, Andrew
Mwenda, Andrew
Author(s)
Author(s) (Additional)
Illustrator(s)
Producer(s)
Contributor(s)
Contributor(s) (Other)
Editor(s)
Advisor(s)
Contact(s)
Data Collector(s)
Keywords
GE Subjects
Collections
Files
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Online Access
Abstract
"Over the last year, corruption continued to dominate political contests and development strategies in East Africa. The media still thrives on exposés of corrupt transactions in government, although there was an increase in reports about government efforts to establish or give teeth to existing anti-corruption institutions, and parliaments played a key role in holding governments to account. Across the region, there is ever more news of governments taking action against corrupt officials, as accusations of graft have become a major political weapon. Yet the positive news stories do not always mean that governments in the region have seriously committed themselves to fight corruption. Anti-corruption institutions are frequently underfunded, and government actions are often just a veneer, intended to meet donor conditionality in a region where most governments depend on foreign aid to support their budgets. International financial institutions had argued that liberalisation and privatisation would reduce the scale and scope of government, thereby minimising the incidence of corruption. After a decade of free market reforms, however, the state remains the largest consumer and employer. Market reforms merely altered the way in which corruption occurs, allowing governments to award contracts and tenders to reward loyal supporters or buy off potential opponents. The pattern of corruption also partly reflects the many armed conflicts in the region, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. The conflicts have provided opportunities for illicit access to natural resources, and in some cases aid officials have taken advantage of the desperation of refugees. Increasing evidence has emerged of the central role of the private sector in corruption in East Africa. Surveys and prominent cases hinted at the extent of bribes paid by both East African and multinational businesses and also at the level of private-to-private corruption and fraud."
Note(s)
Topic
Type
Book chapter
Date
2003
Identifier
ISBN
1861974760
DOI
Copyright/License
With permission of the license/copyright holder