Botswana: The hunt for embezzled public funds, President Duma Boko’s fight for impeccable governance
Botswana’s President Duma Boko has launched an unprecedented fight against corruption, determined to restore citizens’ trust in their institutions. Since his election in October 2024 on a platform firmly focused on the fight against corruption, he has engaged in a vast operation to track down embezzled public funds.
At the heart of this strategy is a landmark forensic audit covering a decade of public spending, from April 2014 to March 2024. Commissioned by the international firm Alvarez & Marsal for an amount of P54.7 million, this audit scrutinized the finances of the entire government and 92 public entities. President Boko made it clear that the operation was « not a political coup » but a real « asset tracing » enterprise to follow the trail of the stolen money.
The results exceeded all expectations. The audit uncovered an estimated loss of P33 billion, linked to suspicions of widespread corruption. More than 80 senior officials, including ministers, civil servants and heads of state-owned enterprises, have been identified for further investigation. The report, delivered to the president in April 2026, was followed by an announcement that formal investigations would be opened into all alleged cases of misconduct.
Recognizing that the audit was only a first step, the government implemented a « two-pronged parallel strategy. » The first is to prosecute based on the evidence gathered, while the second is to implement the recommendations for in-depth reform of governance systems. The President stressed the need to bring those responsible to justice, recalling that the effectiveness of the judicial system is crucial to support this process.
The Minister of State, Moeti Mohwasa, even called on people who have illicitly benefited from public funds to return them voluntarily to facilitate the recovery process. The government also said that the conclusions of the audit will not be made public in their entirety to preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigations and to prevent the people involved from being able to anticipate the investigations.
While the opposition fears a « witch hunt » and some unions are calling for the full publication of the report for full transparency, the initiative is widely seen as a strong signal. By tackling head-on what he himself described as the « gangrene » that has affected entire sections of the administration, including the health system, Duma Boko is trying to restore the confidence of citizens and investors in the institutions. The success of this gamble will now depend on the ability of the judiciary to keep pace with investigations and prosecutions, and to translate promises into action for a fairer and more prosperous Botswana.
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