Some of East African Presidents:-William Ruto of Kenya ,Yoweri Museveni of Uganda,Samia Suluhu of Tanzania and Paul Kagame of Rwanda….Photo/courtesy
By Peter Mwibanda
Intellectualspost (IP),Nairobi
Across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, political elites are turning state power into personal fortune — eroding democracy and deepening inequality.
In East Africa, political power has become the fastest route to personal fortune.
From Nairobi to Kampala,Juba,Kigali,Bujumbura and Dar es Salaam, politics has evolved from public service to a profitable business empire managed by those elected to lead.
Across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, political elites straddle both cabinet offices and corporate boardrooms.
Their companies dominate lucrative contracts in infrastructure, energy and agriculture — deals often awarded without public scrutiny.
The line between public money and private wealth has blurred beyond recognition.
“Politics has become an investment, not a calling,” says an economist in Nairobi. “Those in office see the state as an ATM.”
Ordinay citizens, meanwhile, battle record inflation and unemployment.
Young people watch as politicians flaunt opulence built on the taxes of struggling citizens.
Yet few of these billionaires in politics face accountability.
Economists warn that this toxic fusion of wealth and power is hollowing out democracy.
Political competition increasingly depends on money, not merit, turning leadership into a privilege of the rich and governance into an auction.
If East Africa’s democracies are to survive, analysts say, citizens must reclaim politics from profit.
Leadership, they add, must return to integrity — not inheritance.
