Before Egypt’s Revolution, promises of social equality and human development were undermined by a corrupt and powerful elite whose focus was profiteering rather than ensuring the well-being and prosperity of the Egyptian people. One of the biggest challenges facing Egypt’s new government is how to reverse this trend. The delivery of basic services – health, education and water – forms the basis of the citizen-government compact. More importantly, though, it is a central duty of any government. This paper explores the types of corruption that are common in the service delivery sector worldwide, and the impact that this corruption has. Transparency and accountability initiatives have a key role to play in efforts to root out corruption in service delivery. As such, the paper goes on to outline steps which governments can take to increase transparency and accountability in service delivery, drawing on successful examples and experiences from the Global South. Finally – using the case study of the education sector in Uganda – the paper argues that transparency and accountability initiatives alone are not enough to stamp out corruption. They must take place alongside broader reforms, and their success is highly dependent on a number of related and external factors, the extent of political will. These experiences provide important lessons for Egypt during its transition phase.