…As the DCEO is slammed for being ineffective
Moroke Sekoboto
THE latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 released this week by Transparency International shows that Lesotho continues to struggle with public sector corruption.
Out of 182 countries assessed, Lesotho is ranked 99th, retaining a score of 37 out of 100 (where 0 denotes high corruption and 100 indicates a very clean public sector) which it had obtained in 2024.
The 37 score was a decline from 39 points in 2023, reflecting persistent governance and accountability challenges.
Globally, the average CPI score dropped to 42 from 43 in 2024, while 122 countries scored below 50, underscoring the scale of public sector corruption worldwide. The report notes that only five countries now score above 80, down from 12 a decade ago, while recent slippage among high-scoring democracies shows that corruption risks can rise even where institutions once appeared secure.
Transparency International further reports that countries that restrict civic space often experience worsening corruption. Of the 50 countries with the steepest CPI declines, 36 curtailed civic freedoms, while more than 90 percent of journalists murdered for investigating corruption were based in low-scoring countries.
The organisation has urged global leaders to strengthen independent justice systems and oversight bodies, enhance transparency in political financing, protect media freedom, and clamp down on cross-border illicit financial flows.
Regionally, Lesotho is level with Zambia, while Malawi scored 34 points and Angola 32. The country trails far behind Seychelles at 68 points, Botswana at 58, and South Africa at 41.
The report states that, while Lesotho’s anti-corruption agency, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO), has investigated several high-profile cases, its effectiveness has been hampered by chronic under-resourcing, political interference and very low conviction rates.
The report paints a bleak picture for Sub-Saharan Africa, which recorded an average score of 32 out of 100, making it the lowest-performing region globally. Only four of the 49 countries in the region scored above 50. Since 2012, 10 countries have significantly deteriorated, while only seven have improved, highlighting the limited impact of current anti-corruption efforts.
Transparency International’s Regional Advisor for Africa, Paul Banoba, warned that corruption in the management of public funds reflects weak political integrity, undermines access to essential services, and disproportionately harms vulnerable communities.
“Public sector corruption always hits the most vulnerable people the hardest,” Mr Banoba said.
“Despite the African Union’s adoption of the Convention on Preventing and Combatting Corruption more than two decades ago, much more needs to be done. African governments must urgently translate commitments into decisive action by strengthening accountability institutions, increasing transparency, protecting civic space, supporting public participation, and enforcing effective checks and balances on power.”
