Maracha County legislator Denis Oguzu Lee has been elected as the new East Africa Regional Coordinator for the African Parliamentarians’ Network on Illicit Financial Flows and Taxation (APNIFFT).
The election took place at the Capital Park Hotel in Johannesburg and featured contestants from Kenya, Burundi, and South Sudan.
Oguzu succeeds Nancy Abisai of Kenya.
His new position also places him on APNIFFT’s seven-member Continental Steering Committee, where he will contribute to strategic decision-making and pan-African advocacy on financial governance.
The continental assembly also elected other key leaders, including Galvans from the Central African Republic as Continental Chairperson, who will be deputized by Ngobeni, Chief Whip of South Africa’s Jacob Zuma MK Party.
APNIFFT is a pan-African network of parliamentarians focused on combating Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) from the continent.
Africa loses an estimated $88.6 billion annually to IFFs, a loss that undermines development, slows economic growth, and limits public service delivery.
On his election, Oguzu said the mandate was a profound responsibility.
"The loss of $88.6 billion annually to illicit financial flows directly impacts our continent’s future — schools remain unbuilt, hospitals lack medicine, and roads remain unrepaired," he said.
"I am committed to working with my colleagues across East Africa and Africa to tighten our laws, close loopholes, and ensure Africa’s wealth stays in Africa to serve our people. Our fight against IFFs is a fight for the very soul of our development."
Illicit financial flows often occur through trade misinvoicing — deliberate over-invoicing of imports or under-invoicing of exports — as well as tax evasion and avoidance by multinational corporations exploiting loopholes to reduce tax liabilities.
To combat IFFs and redirect lost funds toward critical services in health, education, and infrastructure, African nations must strengthen legislative frameworks and enforce laws against tax evasion, money laundering, and base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).
APNIFFT is a non-partisan network of parliamentarians advocating for policies and legislation that curb illicit financial flows and promote progressive taxation, fostering domestic resource mobilization for sustainable development in Africa.
