This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the African Union
Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) across four East African
countries: Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The AUCPCC, adopted in 2003, represents
Africa’s own comprehensive framework to combat corruption, serving as the cornerstone of the
continent’s collective efforts to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance. The
effectiveness of this convention, however, depends fundamentally on national implementation.
This research specifically examines four crucial provisions of the AUCPCC that form an
interconnected system for combating corruption: access to information, asset recovery, beneficial
ownership transparency, and whistleblower protection.
These provisions were selected for their
critical importance in preventing illicit financial flows (IFFs) and strengthening domestic resource
mobilisation (DRM). When effectively implemented, they create a synergistic framework that
significantly curbs corruption, reduces the need for external borrowing, and increases resources
available for essential public services and development.
The assessment reveals a fundamental paradox across all four countries: whilst legal frameworks
have been established to transpose AUCPCC provisions into domestic law, practical implementation
remains severely constrained. This disconnect between de jure compliance and de facto
enforcement undermines the convention’s transformative potential.