Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has raised the alarm on the increasing public trust reduction across African governments attributing it to corruption, poor service delivery, and widening economic inequality.
Speaking at the official opening of the 5th African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (AFROPAC) Assembly, Among lamented the growing dissatisfaction among citizens who faithfully pay taxes but receive little in return.
She decried the escalating levels of illicit financial flows which she said have weakened public financial resilience across the continent.
The AFROPAC Assembly is taking place at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Kampala, Uganda, where regional public accounts committees are discussing key financial governance issues.
The summit that started today March 17th will end on March 21st, 2025, bringing together African policymakers, financial experts, and auditors to tackle financial accountability challenges.
Speaker highlighted the deepening inequality between the rich and the poor arguing that governments have failed to deliver basic services such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure despite heavy taxation. This, she said, has fueled a wave of distrust, discontent, and frustration among citizens.
Among also pointed to corruption, mismanagement of public funds and rising national debts as key factors undermining public confidence.
She called for greater accountability, transparency and reforms in financial governance to restore trust and prevent further economic decline.
In a hard-hitting speech, Speaker Anita Among did not hold back. She spoke for millions of frustrated Africans who feel cheated by their governments, paying taxes diligently yet receiving little in return.
“Citizens may pay taxes to finance government operations. In return, they expect satisfactory service delivery and accountability. In most countries, that is the opposite and that is unfortunate,” Speaker Among
Her words cut deep echoing a harsh reality, governments are collecting billions in taxes but roads remain pothole-ridden, hospitals lack medicine and public education is crumbling. Instead, political elites live in luxury, drive state-funded SUVs and stash stolen wealth in offshore accounts.
Anger is boiling across Africa, citizens are losing patience with their leaders. Protests against high taxes, corruption and failing public services have erupted in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda.
In Uganda, the recent Kawempe by-election chaos exposed deep mistrust in electoral processes with allegations of vote rigging, intimidation and security force interference.
“There is a growing deficit of public trust because citizens do not get what they expect from government. The rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer,” Among warned.
This is a great contradiction of African leadership, governments demand loyalty and taxes from their citizens but fail to reciprocate with good governance.
Speaker Among’s warning is clear, if African governments do not address corruption and service delivery failures, public trust will collapse entirely.
The AFROPAC Assembly may be discussing solutions, but for millions of Africans, words are no longer enough. People want real change, not political speeches.
