Justice & rights

Strong measures helped Rwanda to increase ranking on corruption perception index

According to a survey done by Transparency International (TI)[AE1] , Rwanda has slightly improved its scoring and ranking on world corruption perception index (CPI) record 2017, published by TI in February 2018. During a press conference where the survey has been launched, local leaders affirm that the better rank of the index is a result of strong measures taken by local government and other partners in fight against corruption.

The CPI was first launched in 1995. Since then, the index is a tool to sensitize on international level for the issue of corruption. In 2010 Rwanda was ranked number 66 globally and number 50 in 2016. The result of the CPI 2017 shows the improvement in terms of corruption in Rwanda, which is now ranked number 48 worldwide. Rwanda holds number three for Sub-Saharan Africa and is number one – and thus the least corrupt country – in East Africa.

The corruption perception index (CPI) is the rate of fighting against corruption, it ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, drawing on 13 surveys conducted by 13 data sources. After collecting all data, TI merges and compares data in order to standardize them. Next step is the data analysis to rank the countries within the index. The index uses a scale of zero to 100 where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean, explained Albert Rwego, the Program Manager of TI Rwanda.

Rwego said that the 13 data sources are international professional research organizations. A country can only be part of the index if there are at least three data sources with relevant information available. Rwanda was researched by six data sources among 13.   

According to Clement Musangabatware, the deputy Ombudsman in charge of fight against corruption, strong measures that were put in place contributed in the rank increasing of Rwanda on CPI. The politic of no tolerance for corrupted people, the consultative committee of fighting against corruption that was created and empowered, laws were executed and what was given or gotten by corruption have been retrieved. Other laws are still under process like the law against corruption and the penal code.

“One of the measures is the use of digital technologies to decrease the direct contact between police officers and citizens”, said the Head Officer in charge of fighting against corruption unit at Rwanda National Police, Assistant Commissioner of Police[AE2]  Jean Nepo Mbonyumuvunyi. He also said that when a police officer is found involved in corruption issues, he is strictly suspended while the investigation is being processed. 

CPI Average score for Sub-Saharan Africa is 32% while global average is 43%. In 1995 New Zealand ranked first and Indonesia ranked last in the CPI, whereas in 2017 New Zealand ranked first and Somalia ranked last. For Sub-Saharan Africa, Botswana ranked number one in 2017 and Somalia holds the last position.

Francine Andrew Mukase.


 [AE1]Find a better way to describe the improvement

 [AE2]What does this acronym mean?

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