Anti-corruption crusaders from around the six-nation East African Community Tuesday held a consultative meeting on a draft EAC asset declaration protocol.
The regional economic bloc, made up of Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, is seeking to come up with a common framework that helps curtail embezzlement of public funds.
The virtual meeting, organised by Transparency International-Rwanda, was one of a series of stakeholder engagements on the draft anti-graft instrument, particularly serving as a follow up on similar discussions held last month.
One of the issues at the heart of Tuesday’s conversation was details that must be included in asset declaration forms, with some proposing that a public official should provide the source of the declared asset, the date of acquisition and present value, assets of their spouses (if married), property of their minor children, donations made to their patrimony, among others.
Sheila Masinde, from Transparency International-Kenya, said many public officials embezzle public wealth only to register it under the names of family members, and therefore including details of assets owned by children and spouses would come in handy.
‘Unexplained assets’
Emmanuel Nsengiyumva, National Prosecutor at Office of the Ombudsman Rwanda, backed the proposal, saying this would help "address challenge of embezzlement of public wealth and unexplained assets by public officials.”
However, some participants were opposed to the suggestion, arguing that it violated the rights of the concerned children and spouses.
Another idea that attracted heated debate is the proposal to establish an EAC Advisory Board to monitor declaration of assets across the community, with some suggesting that this role can be played by the regional bloc’s legislative Committee on Legal, Rules, and Privileges, instead of creating another body.
Paul Banoba, Regional Advisor, Transparency International Rwanda, backed the proposal to create a new organ.
"The committee,” he said, "was created for a specific mandate and adding them more responsibilities” may be counterproductive.
Participants also called for full integration of ICT services in every aspect of declaration of assets as a strategy to minimise physical contact and possible irregularities.
The discussions were part of broad consultations designed to come up with an appropriate EAC protocol on asset declaration across the bloc, Rwanda’s Ombudsman, Madeleine Nirere, said.
"These are important consultations that will help us reach a common position, built on best practices,” she said during the webinar. "It is an ongoing debate that will continue until we have found the right approach toward an anti-corruption EAC.”