LONDON (TrustLaw) – Burundi has retained its position as ‘the most bribery prone’ country in East Africa according to a survey carried out by a coalition of East African anti-graft groups.
The East African Bribery Index 2011 surveyed nearly 13,000 people in Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda and asked respondents how often they were asked to pay bribes when interacting with a government institution.
The index found the prevalence of bribery to be highest in Burundi with Burundians asked for a bribe in 37.9% of all interactions with government institutions, up from 36.7% last year. Rwanda had the lowest prevalence of bribery with 5.1%, down from 6.6% last year. Uganda (33.9%), Tanzania (31.6) and Kenya (28.8%) filled the remaining places in the index. Kenya’s 2011 score was a slight improvement on its 2010 score of 31.9% and was good enough for the country to drop below Tanzania in the ranking.
The index also found that national police forces were the most bribery prone institutions in East Africa. Uganda’s police force was deemed the most bribery prone but the Burundian, Kenyan and Tanzanian police were not far behind.
The survey was carried out by the Kenyan, Rwandan and Ugandan national chapters of anti-graft watchdog Transparency International, Tanzania’s Concern for Development Initiatives In Africa (ForDia) and ABUCO, a consumer rights organisation in Burundi.
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