We've Been Compromised!

When you think of government corruption, you probably imagine politicians who smudge the truth, media outlets that pick and choose what stories to tell, and sex scandals in Washington. Obviously, these aren't constructive elements in any government, but we ought to consider ourselves lucky that this is all the corruption we have to deal with. In Burundi, things are much worse.

A Transparency International (TI) survey ranked Burundi as the most corrupt country in East Africa for the second year in a row because of the government's susceptibility to bribery (37.9% prevalence) and graft (unscrupulous use of authority entirely for personal gain). Residents of Burundi say that bribes - kitu kidogo, or "something small"  in Kiswahili -  are demanded of them to use most services. None of these incidents are ever reported.

Most of this corruption stems from two problems: the ethnic conflict between the Hutu and the Tutsi and the country's general economic uncertainty.

Ethnic Conflict

The Hutu and the Tutsi are two of the three main ethnic groups in Central and East Africa (the third are the Twa). Although there were understandable conflicts throughout their long history, the two parties were generally not hostile to one another until the arrival of German and Belgian colonialists exacerbated existing tensions. Belgian census records documented that the Tutsi tended to be more economically and politically dominant than the Hutu, who were a poorer and more agrarian people. This led Belgium to extend special privileges and responsibilities to the Tutsi, thereby widening the already formidable gap between the Tutsi and the more populous Hutu parties.

When Burundi declared independence from Belgium in 1962, an attempt was made to return to the old monarchical system of government, but a coup staged by the Tutsi elite in 1966 ensured 25 years of military regimes in which great inequality was exercised between the two parties. These militant governments were put to an end with the democratic elections in 1993. At last Burundi looked to be headed in a positive direction. But these elections proved to be the spark that ignited the flame of ethnic warfare. 


On October 21, 1993, a group of Tutsi extremists assassinated the newly elected Hutu president, Melchoir Ndadaye. Mayhem followed. Violence broke out between the two parties in a massive civil war that lasted until 2005, resulting in the deaths of 300,000 Burundians. Although technically a ceasefire was called and attempts have been made at reconciliation and growth, tensions are still extremely high, especially in politics.

Economic Uncertainty


Burundi's economy sits in a precarious situation, with businesses hesitant to trade with and invest in Burundi due to the high possibility of violence and the prevalence of embezzlement. But with the economy lagging and a serious lack of interested trade and business, politicians are extremely susceptible to bribes and pay-offs.

All in all, Burundi's level of government corruption is through the roof despite efforts to smother it. I don't even know where to begin to try solving this... Gosh, why can't everyone just be celestial?