We cannot afford to relent on corruption

This week, the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA), released a report on investigations carried out based on the 2007 Auditor General’s (AG) report, which indicated that over Rwf 3.7 billion was embezzled. Twenty six of the investigated cases, involving the loss of over Rwf125.3m and implicating 66 officials, have been forwarded to court for prosecution. In total, about 223 officials from various levels of government have so far been prosecuted. The Office of the Prosecutor General deserves commendation and support from all stakeholders for the great work it is doing to ensure accountability by government officials. As a country characterized by zero tolerance to corruption, we ought to devise better and permanent mechanisms that will help check graft. However, fighting corruption requires collective effort. All government officials have within their mandate a duty to fight corruption and protect public resources. Several AG’s reports have highlighted cases of illegal tendering and embezzlement. Some institutions divert funds for activities that they were not originally budgeted for. While there is general improvement in the management of public funds, some irregularities still persist. Now that prosecution carried out investigations, they should go all the way and bring all the culprits to book. There’s no doubt that the remaining irregularities shall be addressed given the existing political will. Ends

Opinions

We cannot afford to relent on corruption