By ANTHONY KITIMO

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South Sudan, Somalia and Burundi rank top in the eastern Africa region as the most corrupt countries in the world, as 80 percent of Sub-Saharan African states continue to lag behind in the war against corruption in the last one decade.

According to the 2021 Transparency International report, Rwanda is ranked top (52) in the region as one of the least corrupt countries, followed by Tanzania (87), Kenya (128) and Uganda (144).

South Sudan, Syria and Somalia remain at the bottom of the index globally as countries experiencing armed conflict or authoritarianism tend to earn the lowest scores, including Venezuela, Yemen, North Korea, Afghanistan, Libya, Equatorial Guinea and Turkmenistan.

Overall, the Corruption Performance Index (CPI) shows that control of corruption has stagnated or worsened in 86 per cent of countries over the last decade, even as cases of human rights abuses rise and democratic space shrink in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“CPI progress report indicates over 90 per cent of countries globally score below 50 as corruption levels remain at a standstill worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 80 per cent of countries have made little to no progress in the last 10 years,” read part of the report.

The gains of a handful of countries in the region are overshadowed by backsliding and stagnation in others.

Serious corruption problems are exacerbated by ongoing violent conflicts and terrorist attacks in countries from South Sudan (180) to Mali (136).

Unconstitutional changes in governments as the case with Guinea (150) highlight political corruption; and the severe impact this year of the Covid-19 pandemic has given governments an excuse to limit information and rights in Cameroon (144) and Uganda (144).

Africa Regional Advisor of Transparency International Samuel Kaninda said the survey indicated that there has been a serious plundering of natural resources as millions of people lack access to public services while violent conflicts rage on and terrorist threats rise.

 “A decade of stagnating corruption levels has been devastating for Sub-Saharan Africa as grand corruption cases allows elites to act with impunity, siphoning money away from the continent and leaving the public with little in the way of rights or resources,” said Mr Kaninda.

The Sub-Saharan Africa average is 33, the lowest in the world, and 44 countries rank below 50. In the last decade, 43 countries in the region have either declined or made no significant progress.

Only six countries in the region have significantly improved their scores over that period which include Seychelles, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire and Angola.

The survey recommends for an urgent need for African governments to implement existing anticorruption commitments if they are to alleviate the devastating effect of corruption on millions of citizens living in extreme poverty.