By Alex Ndegwa and phillip mwakio
Ruling parties in Africa doubling in business foster official corruption, an Africa governance conference was told. Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) director Patrick Lumumba said "there is something wrong" with parties in Government doing business because besides graft flourishing, they also unfairly elbow out private enterprises.
"By doing so, you politicise business and poison the environment for private sector thus undermining services," Lumumba said, citing ANC and Zanu-PF.
He said the continent was strangled with corruption abetted by its leaders. "Corruption is a deadly and cancerous ailment. Governments that have demonstrated political will to tackle graft have recorded growth," he said.
Lumumba said the ruling elite had wired corruptly acquired wealth to secret bank accounts in foreign nations. He added corruption had affected service delivery because "not a single road in Africa is constructed without an element of corruption."
UNDP’s assistant administrator and director, regional bureau for Africa Tegegnework Gettu said the achievement of Millennium Development Goals was threatened by a myriad challenges.
