Corruption in Lesotho

King Moshoeshoe II (1938-1996)[2] presided over an era of pervasive corruption and nepotism, with allegations of misappropriation of state funds and awarding government contracts to friends.

[4] At the same time, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s term (1998-2012) is also remembered due to various serious corrupt practices such as bribery regarding the Lesotho Highlands Water Project being a contentious issue.

Under Prime Minister Thomas Thabane (2017-2020), corruption has remained one of Lesotho's biggest challenges; hence his regime faced many cases involving misuse of funds including looting COVID-19 relief money which appropriately reflects this nature.

The colonial administration perpetuated racial segregation and discrimination, denying Basotho people equal access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.

Leaders have also resorted to giving tendering process to their relatives or friends who lack the necessary qualifications just because they want to help them financially as well as employing them in public sector.

Officials have been asking for bribes from entity businesses as well as from community members in order to facilitate faster processing of licenses and other legal documents that such people need so that they could be able to operate freely.

[1] This has been an obstacle for economic growth in Lesotho, making the country lag behind in terms of equal opportunities in the development sector and deteriorating the already fragile confidence in the government and institutions.