Kenyan Professor Patrick Lumumba has said lack of willingness among political leaders to fight corruption is fueling the vice in many African countries.
Lumumba made the remarks during the first day of National Anti-Corruption Conference at Bingu International Conventional Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
According to the Kenyan anti-corruption crusader, in a country where there is no political will there is also lack of institutional strength and the fight to curb protection must come from the president.
“My prescription has always been that one of the most important ways to fight against corruption is to have leadership from the top. The tone must be set by the president and then is set by leaders of the institutions such as judiciary, legislature and all the other leaders and the institutions,” Lumumba said.
“It is important therefore to also understand that citizens have a role to play in the fight against corruption.”
He further blamed most Africans for staying idle when corruption is taking place in their respective countries.
“The African problem is that Africans have a very high tolerance for corruption and this is brought about by impunity, many people see particularly those in political class engaging in corruption,” he said.
According to Lumumba, it is high time Africans took a leading role in ending corruption in their respective countries.
Speaking to the press after the conference, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Samuel Tembenu said the country is trying its best but corruption cannot just end at the same time.
“Fighting corruption is a very complex battle as the theme says ‘Corruption in Malawi: Reality or Perception’ from the ministers’ point of view we have decided to tackle this issue into fronts and corruption in the country exist and we need to find ways of ending it. This is the aim of this conference,” Tembenu said.
In his remarks, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director Lucas Kondowe said the organisation is ready to curb corruption in the country.
He said the anti corruption body is independent, giving the example of how it recently invaded the house of former agriculture minister George Chaponda over his questionable involvement in Malawi-Zambia maize deal.
The conference will officially be opened on Friday by President Peter Mutharika.
It has been jointly organized by ACB and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
