Report: Rwanda still least corrupt in region

Rwanda has maintained its position as the least corrupt country in the East African region, according to Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report released by Transparency International yesterday.The annual report indicates the relative degree of public sector corruption and ranks countries worldwide.The CPI 2013 report shows that Rwanda is the fourth least corrupt country in Africa and was among the top 50 best performing countries in the world out of 177 surveyed.Rwanda also fell among the top 30 per cent of countries that scored above 50 per cent worldwide on the CPI score. Although stagnating at 53 points, it moved up one position from last year globally, and in Africa.Regional performanceIn the region, Tanzania came second at position 111, followed by Kenya at 136, with Uganda and Burundi trailing at 140 and 157, respectively.Denmark and New Zealand were ranked as the least corrupt countries while Somalia was ranked as the poorest performing country globally scoring only eight points.Presenting the findings, Transparency International Rwanda also released the fourth edition of the Rwanda Bribery index (RBI 2013), which details the perceptions and experiences of bribes in Rwanda’s public institutions and factors that drag the country down in the fight against the vice.The RBI index which analyses a number of indicators revealed that the public institution most affected by bribery in the country is the police followed by decentralised entities and the judiciary.Among the reasons dragging the country down in the fight against corruption is low reporting levels with only 14.3 per cent reporting to competent authorities, the report reveals.The prevalent reason for the unreported cases was cited by most as “not seeing it necessary to report,” while others feared incriminating themselves.Marie-Immaculée Ingabire, the chairperson of Transparency International Rwanda, said although the reports indicate that corruption is on a downward trend, a lot still needs to be done to vulnerable sectors such as the Police.“It has repeatedly been revealed by surveys that Police, especially Traffic department, remains one of the most vulnerable institution in the country,” she said.Apollinaire Mupinganyi, Transparency International’s executive director, expressed concern over the level of corruption in some of the institutions that are supposed to be leading service providers.“It is unfortunate that in spite of the efforts put in the fight against corruption, the institutions where citizens go for services are among those prone to corruption. Citizens must be aware of their rights so that services can be provided promptly,” Mupinganyi said.Reacting to the latest findings, James Musoni, the minister for local government, said the country’s global ranking and the public’s faith in government’s commitment was a step in the right.“There are still low levels of reporting that are holding us back which we need to get past. I would also like to urge member of the press to undertake investigative journalism to bring out cases of corruption to light,” Musoni said.How govt is fighting The minister added that there were preventive mechanisms in place for achieving a corruption-free State status. “There is capacity building of staff in the public sector and separation of duties where one person can handle various tasks to reduce the chances of contact with several officials which could lead to instances of bribery. We also have a zero tolerance policy and we are promoting a culture of transparency and accountability,” Minister Musoni added. Zeroing corruption could be challenging but so far, the progress is commendable, Ombudsman Aloysie Cyanzayire said. “We started (fighting corruption) less than two decades ago, yet other countries that have been fighting graft for years are not yet there. Our progress is commendable,” Cyanzayire said. The Ombudsman said there is a political will to fight corruption, and all the institutions are cooperating, adding that the public needs to come on board. The Transparency International report follows on the heels of the East African Bribery Index 2013, which ranked Rwanda the least corrupt country in the region. Mupiganyi said the report was important as it influences investment in a country. “It is an important report because it can influence investment in a country; if a country is ranked poorly, no investor will be interested in putting their money there, but when a county is least corrupt, obviously it will attract investors.” Additional reporting by Jean de la Croix Tabaro

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Report: Rwanda still least corrupt in region