By MARK KAPCHANGA
The East African
December 21 2009
Political leaders in East Africa have failed to address a vicious cycle of corruption and poverty, says a global survey by Transparency International.
This has, once again, put the business climate in the region on the spot, says the global body that releases annual surveys on corruption among more than 180 countries in the world.
Kenya, which was ranked 146, was taken to task for intimidating local anti-corruption activists and whistleblowers.
The survey says those courageous enough to publicly expose weaknesses in accountability systems are increasingly at risk as government crackdowns limit democratic opposition and stifle civil society.
The revelations are likely to affect prospective international investors who have been streaming to East Africa especially now when the region has converged its markets.
The annual index puts Rwanda as the least corrupt country in East Africa, at position 89 out of the 180 economies under study.
The Paul Kagame government is also ranked 10th in Africa after Botswana, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Seychelles, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Swaziland, Lesotho and Malawi.
On a scale of zero to 10, with zero being perceived as highly corrupt, Rwanda had an index of 3.3. It was the only country in East Africa with a CPI of more than 3.
Related Materials:
Rank 32? Not us, Rwanda tells Index team
No comments:
Post a Comment