Complete Book PDF (4.12MB) - World Bank eLibrary

Rural Water Supply Corruption in Ethiopia 163
(a) interference in the selection of committee members by powerful
village members; (b) nomination of noncommittee members for training;
(c) failure to bank all of the money collected from users; and (d)
unauthorized withdrawal and theft of funds by committee members.
Interference in committee selection and hence training has a financial
implication because those attending courses receive an allowance.
A general conclusion is that although our survey did not highlight
evidence of corrupt practice in local payment systems, 23 there are clear
risks—particularly in larger schemes, where banks are distant, where
money is left in the care of individuals for long periods of time, and where
woreda officials find it difficult to keep tabs on community-held funds.
Partly as a response to these risks, civil society organizations have lobbied
government to grant WUAs legal status through a Proclamation on the
Establishment of Rural Water Users’ Associations (see box 4.8), under a
task force coordinated by the MOWR. One of the key aims is to reduce
the risk of local, village-level corruption.
Box 4.8
Proclamation on the Establishment of Rural Water Users’
Associations
Although household contributions to local O&M funds are small (Br 1 to Br 2 per
month), combined funds can quickly add up. A village of 500 households, for
example, would contribute Br 6,000 to Br 12,000 over the course of a year. Funds
should be deposited regularly in a bank account, but where banks are difficult to
reach, cash is often kept in the house of a committee member. Moreover, although
woreda officials are supposed to authorize the opening of a WUA bank account
and are responsible for investigating any reports of misuse, the job is a difficult
one, especially when there are repeated changes in committee membership.
Over time, woreda oversight becomes weaker.
NGOs that work with communities on a long-term basis are more aware than
most of the opportunities that local oversight creates for the misappropriation of
funds. One NGO staff member interviewed reported how a committee member
had disappeared with more than Br 15,000 from a large village project—a major
(continued next page)