Pandora Papers leak and the question of financial openness

President Uhuru Kenyatta and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair after a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi. [Courtesy]

According to Greek mythology, Pandora was a woman of insatiable curiosity. Given a box in which every conceivable evil was deposited, she couldn’t resist lifting the lid to take a peek. This is even after she had been warned never to open the box. Because of her disobedience, evil has been visited on the world of humans.

The dictionary defines Pandora’s box as, “a process that once begun, generates many complex problems.” This is an apt description of the recently released Pandora Papers that have discombobulated many leaders globally. This is an offshore data leak that links global leaders with secret offshore companies and accounts ostensibly to hide wealth.