UK demands tougher action on corruption

Sep 28, 2009

THE United Kingdom has asked the Government to take a tougher stance against corruption so as to give momentum to poverty eradication programmes.

By Henry Mukasa

THE United Kingdom has asked the Government to take a tougher stance against corruption so as to give momentum to poverty eradication programmes.

Launching the British government programme to fight poverty in Uganda, the director of the Department of International Development (DFID) in East Africa, Joy Hutcheon, said while Uganda had made progress in reducing poverty, graft and rebuilding the northern region after the Lord’s Resistance Army war remained a big challenge.

“There are important steps which need to be taken, including implementation of the peace, recovery and development plan in northern Uganda.

“A tougher stance on corruption and renewed attention to public sector reform will all be critical for Uganda to make progress in the next five years,” Hutcheon said.

The DFID Uganda 2009-2014 country plan was launched at the British High Commission gardens in Kamwokya last week.

The plan is in line with the UK’s White Paper for ‘Building our common future’, which was launched in July to fight poverty in the face of the global recession.

The programme will focus on tackling corruption, supporting demand for public accountability, assisting the poor, supporting regional integration and infrastructure development.

It will also aim at building mechanisms to maximise benefits of peace in the north and budget support for provision of quality public services.

Hutcheon warned that the effects of the global recession and climate change would strain the national economy.

She added that climate change would affect agriculture productivity, tourism as the glaciers melt and fishing as temperatures increase by two degrees.

Jane Rintoul, the organisation’s country head, said DFID would work with the IGG, Auditor General, parliamentary accountability committees, civil society and logal governments to build the citizen’s demand for accountability.

In response, the state minister for finance, Fred Jachan Omach, said the Government had increased funding of the office of the IGG and Auditor General to enable them fight corruption better.

“This financial year, we have allocated sh120b to projects in Northern Uganda,” Omach added.

He said good financial policies cushioned Uganda from the global financial downturn.

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