Sh164b needed to rescue Uganda's lost morals, says ethics ministry

The ethics and integrity ministry has asked for sh164b over the next five years to spearhead what it calls a national rescue mission to rebuild Uganda’s lost moral values, warning that moral decay has become a silent driver of corruption, abuse of office and the steady bleeding of public resources.

The request was unveiled on December 22, 2025, at the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) headquarters in Kampala city, where the Directorate for Ethics and Integrity launched its Strategic Plan for 2025/26–2029/30, alongside Service Delivery Standards and a Client Charter.

Speaking at the launch, ministry permanent secretary Dunstan Balaba said the country is paying a heavy economic and social price for the collapse of values once anchored in integrity, respect, patriotism and accountability.

Uganda continues to lose trillions of shillings every year through embezzlement, procurement fraud, inflated contracts and abuse of public office, according to successive Auditor General and anti-corruption agency reports.

Balaba argued that corruption cannot be defeated by laws and arrests alone if the moral foundation of society remains broken.

“Our mandate is not just to chase corruption cases but to rebuild ethics and integrity across society. When morals collapse, corruption thrives. When values are weak, public resources are treated as personal property,” he said, adding that the new strategy directly targets the root causes rather than the symptoms.

The five-year plan seeks to improve Uganda’s Corruption Perception Index score from the current 26% to at least 33%, co-ordinate all religious and faith-based organisations for national development and embed values education in schools, cultural institutions and public service.

Moral decay everywhere

Balaba said moral decay is no longer abstract. It is visible in everyday life, from public officials demanding bribes to deliver basic services, to rampant absenteeism in government offices, to a growing culture of entitlement where public money is normalised as loot.

He pointed to changing social behaviour, including loss of respect for elders, erosion of cultural norms, and the glorification of wealth regardless of how it is acquired, as indicators of a society drifting away from its ethical centre.

He said under the plan, the Directorate will intensify nationwide sensitisation, coordinate anti-corruption agencies, and enforce zero tolerance for corruption across all ministries, departments and agencies.

The Service Delivery Standards commit the ministry to timeliness, professionalism and accountability, while the Client Charter establishes a social contract with the public, including responding to correspondence within 24 hours and ensuring officials are accessible during working hours.

Funding gap

However, he said implementing the plan will require shillings 164.246 billion, yet only 82.417 billion has been allocated under the current Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, leaving a funding gap of over 81 billion.

The ministry says it will seek additional government funding and support from development partners.

Ethics and integrity state minister Rose Lilly Akello said the strategic plan provides a clear framework for the Government to measure progress in fighting corruption and restoring accountability.

She acknowledged that moral decay has become deeply entrenched, manifesting not only in corruption but also in how Ugandans relate to one another.

“The loss of values is visible everywhere in how people dress, how they speak, how they treat elders and authority. This breakdown feeds directly into corruption because when values disappear, accountability disappears with them,” Akello said.

She added that rebuilding morals must be treated as a national priority, not a side issue, because corruption continues to divert resources meant for health centres, schools, roads and water projects, leaving ordinary citizens to bear the cost.

The Directorate, established as part of President Yoweri Museveni’s long-standing anti-corruption agenda, currently operates with only 40 staff out of an approved 118, a gap officials say further undermines effectiveness.

She said as Uganda enters a politically sensitive period ahead of the 2026 elections, the ministry says restoring ethics, integrity and shared national values is critical to safeguarding public resources, strengthening governance and sustaining socio-economic transformation.