Regional
DRC: Unmasking Tshisekedi’s failure to address deep-seated corruption
President
Félix Tshisekedi's leadership in the Democratic Republic of Congo is under
scrutiny for, among other things, the unmet
anti-corruption promises. Transparency International's low ranking of the
country and scandals over misused funds highlight systemic challenges
jeopardizing the nation's stability.
According
to the 2022 Transparency International’s report on corruption perception index,
DRC ranks 166th out of 180 countries.
When
he assumed office, in 2019, Tshisekedi promised to fight endemic corruption and
make life better for all Congolese people. But he failed, or simply never even
tried.
On
several occasions, the Catholic Church in DRC condemned the “illicit
enrichment” by Tshisekedi and officials of his government.
In a
March 2022 statement, several Congolese catholic bishops claimed that
corruption and the embezzlement of public funds continue.
“We are witnessing the illicit and scandalous
enrichment by a handful of political actors to the detriment of the
population,” the bishops said. “To make matters worse, these crimes are
committed by the same people who are called to be guarantors of the public
good.”
In
July 2023, Kinshasa hosted the games of La Francophonie; after which Congolese authorities
and organizers faced public criticism over the mismanagement as regards the
funds of preparations for the games and the cost.
Congolese
Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi, reported that DRC spent $324 million, seven
times as much as planned, to host the games.
Responding
to the minister's comments, Francophonie games' Director Isidore Kwandja Ngembo
said that his committee had only been responsible for the agreed budget for
activities, only $66 million.
This
raised suspicion about how Tshisekedi’s government overvalued their activities
for the Francophonie games.
The Tshisekedi’s
government is not new to such corruption scandals.
In a statement
on April 27, 2023, a report by the inspectorate General of Finance (IGF)
revealed massive embezzlement of taxpayers’ money. According to the findings of
an audit of the government's payroll, the IGF noted numerous irregularities,
with tens of thousands of ghost employees.
"The
monthly loss of earnings suffered by the treasury is 148,999,749,440.95
Congolese francs ($66.2 million)," the IGF stated.
The
Congolese public finance watchdog noted that more than 145,000 paid agents have
incorrect, fictitious and fabricated registration numbers for payroll purposes.
Nearly
$800 million is lost annually from the public treasury through this kind of
embezzlement.
Tshisekedi’s
term has been characterized by a surge of corruption cases in government
offices, especially among his close circle. In September 2022, leaked videos
went viral showing Vidiye Tshimanga, special strategic advisor to Tshisekedi,
offering unlimited access to the country’s mineral resources in exchange for
bribes, including shares in the companies and underhand paybacks, for himself
and the president.
The
video exposed the inner image of Tshisekedi’s circle, and the high levels of
corruption in the country.
The US
Department of State sanctioned three top environmental officials in the DRC for
allegedly trafficking wildlife and involvement in “significant corruption.”
The
blacklisted individuals trafficked “chimpanzees, gorillas, okapi, and other
protected wildlife from the DRC, primarily to the People’s Republic of China,
using falsified permits, in return for bribes,” the department said in a statement.
Due to
the mismanagement of resources and widespread corruption in the DRC, nearly
two-thirds of the country's approximately 100 million inhabitants live on less
than $2.15 a day, the international poverty line, according to the World Bank.
Tshisekedi
has failed his compatriots in so many ways.