LOP Ssenyonyi condemns runaway corruption

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Leader of Opposition (LOP) Joel Ssenyonyi has condemned the runaway corruption that has paralyzed service delivery.

He made the remarks on Monday, March 10, 2025, during a workshop on Opposition Alternative Priority Areas for the Financial Year 2025/2026 budget, which was centred on the theme, ‘Combating Corruption: The Sure Way to Effective Service Delivery.’

The event, held at Parliament, was attended by Sulaiman Kiggundu, the director of Parliament’s budget office, Dr Sarah Bireete, executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), and other notable figures.

Addressing MPs, the Nakawa West lawmaker observed that while corruption remains the biggest obstacle to Uganda’s progress, year after year, Ugandans are told that resources are scarce. Yet, they continue to witness trillions of shillings squandered through mismanagement, inflated contracts, and outright theft.

Director, Parliament of Uganda Budget Office, Sulaiman Kiggundu making his remarks during a workshop on Opposition Alternative Priority Areas for the Financial Year 2025/2026 budget. (Photo by Maria Wamala)

“These are not just abstract figures. They represent stolen opportunities for our children, our communities, and our future,” he noted.

To illustrate his point, Ssenyonyi shared the story of an elderly farmer in a remote village, who worked tirelessly to provide for his family, just like many Ugandans.

Though the farmer worked hard to keep his granary full, over time, he noticed his food was disappearing. Every morning, the pile seemed smaller.

One night, Ssenyonyi narrated, the farmer decided to stay awake and investigate. He discovered that rats had found their way into the granary through hidden cracks, stealing what rightfully belonged to his family.

The farmer realised that merely complaining wouldn’t solve the problem. He couldn’t set traps in one corner while leaving other holes open. He had to find every crack, block every entry, and stop the loss at its source.

“Distinguished guests and esteemed colleagues, this is not just a story about a farmer. It is a story about modern-day Uganda. The funds that should be going to healthcare, roads, schools, and other vital services are disappearing due to corruption,” he summed up.

At most, Ssenyonyi emphasised, the story mirrors the plight of a teacher, who is tasked with instructing a classroom of 100 students while being severely underpaid and lacking resources.

“Colleagues, we need to understand that those in power will frequently want to denigrate us as the opposition. They will accuse us of being overly critical or disruptive. But let me tell you something that I believe in strongly. If standing up for fairness makes us disruptive, then we should wear that label with pride. If demanding responsibility is interpreted as complaining, then let us complain louder and more strongly. Because if we do not speak out for the people of Uganda, who will?” he implored.

Dr Bireete, for her part, called for a shift in focus from wasteful corruption prosecutions to recovering stolen funds through parliamentary committees.

Dr Sarah Bireete, executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), making her remarks during a workshop on Opposition Alternative Priority Areas for the Financial Year 2025/2026 budget. (Photo by Maria Wamala)

“We know that prosecution does not work in this country. We have rule by law, and the Government only prosecutes those who oppose it and protects those it considers their cadres. It would be good for the Leader of the Opposition and your shadow cabinet to move beyond handing people over to the police and ordering recovery instead. I think that would benefit the taxpayer more than other money spent on fake prosecutions,” she urged.

Bireete also tasked the Government with digging up the real masterminds behind the Sh62 billion central bank heist. Additionally, she called for an audit of entities bailed out with taxpayers' money and an end to rampant supplementary budgets, which she believes distort the national budget.

“If we now have people deciding to steal money from the treasury directly from the source, then how safe are we as a country? I know that junior staff have been paraded in the Anti-Corruption Court with the Accountant General, but I don’t think that is all there is in the Ministry of Finance. Junior staff do not make any approvals. We have all run little businesses, we know who signs off money. Those people should be paraded in court,” Bireete stated.