The Rwandan taxpayer has lost over Rwf6 billion through corruption between 2014 and 2021, according to the Ombudsman’s Office – signaling a need for greater efforts in combatting graft. While there has been progress in recovering stolen public funds in recent years, with more than Rwf1.6 billion recovered between 2020 and 2021, it has been observed that corrupt officials conceal misappropriation of public assets, often registering illegally acquired wealth under relatives’ names. This means that, while officials may be held accountable for embezzlement, it is still extremely difficult to recover the stolen funds. One of the ways the government has banked on to tackle corruption is the rollout of online services such as the Umucyo e-procurement system and Irembo portal, which also serve to speed up delivery of government services. However, as well as concealment of ill-gotten wealth, poor service delivery continues to manifest – emerging as one of the key loopholes where corruption could be thriving, in part because it sometimes forces a service seeker ‘to pay’ for something which they’re otherwise entitled to. Nonetheless, Rwanda has in recent decades consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in Africa, thanks to deliberate efforts to stem graft, including setting up the Office of Ombudsman in 2003, which plays an instrumental role in fighting both corruption and injustices. Now, corruption is a global phenomenon. This is why it’s important that countries around the world continuously share experiences and best practices with a view to learning from one another on how best to tackle graft. This is all the more important today as countries around the world bid to recover from the devastating impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic while also grappling with rising inflation and commodity shortages as a result of the Ukraine conflict. As such, the 12th Commonwealth Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa, which opens in Kigali on Tuesday, May 3, could not have come at a better time. The five-day gathering, which takes place ahead of next month’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali and is attended by representatives of international anti-graft watchdogs, will run under the theme, “Combating Corruption for Good Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa.” It is critical that Rwanda’s anti-corruption crusaders and institutions like the Office of the Ombudsman learn from the best practices that will be shared by different delegations, especially from countries that have a long history of a zero-corruption stance, with a view to devising strategies that can help address lingering issues.
