Kenya Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Eliud WabukalaEliud Wabukala, a retired Anglican archbishop, became chairman of Kenya’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission in 2017.
In September, he launched a bible-based anti-graft campaign that includes an anti-corruption bible study.
A recent survey found that across Kenya, obtaining birth certificates was the service most prone to bribery.
Next came registering, renewing, or collecting national ID cards. Then “seeking medical attention, and seeking of employment.”
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s bible study guide is intended to help Kenyans reject the idea of a permanent bribery culture.
Every member of our society has an opportunity to contribute to the success of the war against corruption. Regardless of your status in the society, you can make a difference. The Bible Study Guide inspires us to act and to believe our country can be free from corruption.
— EACC (@EACCKenya) September 26, 2018
In Malawi, Bishop Francis Kaulanda said last month that corruption is killing his country. He urged voters to elect a government in 2019 dedicated to transparency and fiscal integrity.
“Corruption is a disease . . . we want a leader that should not entertain and tolerate nonsense,” Bishop Kaulanda said.
In South Sudan, ranked 179 out of 180 on the Corruption Perceptions Index, a bishop wrote an open letter in August to church and government leaders, calling for an end to bribery and violence.
Peter Jon Mayom, the Bishop of the Diocese of Malek, condemned corruption and called on all Christians and their leaders to set positive examples.
“We need a change of heart and mind, to turn to God and it is the church’s job to do that,” Bishop Mayom said.
In South Africa, a group of 24 religious leaders spoke out about increasing corruption and the plundering of state assets.
In an October 25 statement, they called on all church leaders “to exercise their pastoral and prophetic ministry in addressing the challenges we identify and encounter.”
In Ghana, bishops launched a nation-wide project this year to help clean up the country.
Their campaign, “A Clean Environment in a Corruption-free Society,” targets “environmental degradation, poor sanitation and corruption . . . that lead to increased poverty, hunger and sickness.”
The church in Ghana also has a two-year project called “Shaping Hearts, Attitudes and Minds to End Corruption in Ghana” that warns students about corruption.
In the Republic of Congo, bishops said large-scale corruption is a primary cause of the country’s economic problems.
The bishops blamed corruption and lack of transparency for the gross mismanagement of country’s natural resources.
Local politicians are part of the problem, they said, along with foreign companies doing business with the Republic of Congo. They said foreign companies are involved in corrupt practices “that ruin our country.”
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Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
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