East Africa is once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons. A recent report by the African Development Bank (AfDB) shows that the region is leading the continent in procurement fraud in donor-funded projects. Out of 59 complaints that were filed last year, East Africa alone had nearly a third.
This may look like just another statistic, but the reality could actually be worse. It points to a deep administrative crisis that is slowly letting down the East African Community’s dream of integration and shared prosperity. When almost every area – energy, water, roads, social projects – gets permeated by corruption, it becomes clear why so many promises made to citizens never come to fruition.
Think about it this way: Every dishonest energy tender means a village left in darkness, waiting for electricity that was already paid for. The energy sector, according to the report, is indeed the worst affected. Billions meant to power homes and industries are transferred into private accounts through ghost projects and meaningless invoices. What’s the result? Young people stay jobless, businesses struggle, and development becomes just an illusion.
The same goes for roads. We are told that new highways will connect farmers to markets and open up regional trade. But many of these roads remain incomplete or are abandoned altogether because the money has already been eaten. Every stalled project is a story of farmers watching their crops rot or traders cut off from buyers.
Fraud in East Africa is not new, and that is the biggest tragedy. AfDB records show that the region has topped fraud cases for years. This is no longer shocking news; it has become predictable. And once corruption becomes normal, no vision – be it EAC Vision 2050 or the African Continental Free Trade Area – will move beyond those paper documents.
The fight against this menace cannot be left to reports and speeches. Governments, parliaments and civil society must push for serious reforms. Contractors who cheat the system should be rejected across the region, and prosecutions must deliver long prison terms, not just a slap on the wrist. Donor funds are not gifts for the well-connected – they are not only a lifeline, but largely loans that will be paid by millions of people through taxation.
If the EAC cannot stop procurement fraud, then its dream of regional growth will remain a broken promise. East Africans deserve better than living in the shadow of stolen futures.
