Ugandan politicians very poor, says IGG

Ugandan politicians are very poor, the Inspector General of Government (IGG) Lady Justice Irene Mulyagonja has said.

"The kind of lifestyle our political leaders live and the demands mounted on them by the electorate, make them poor. You see some ministers did not make it back to Parliament because some of them did not have enough resources to finance the campaigns and that's how they lost. In fact it would not be advisable to join politics before acquiring wealth," Mulyagonja.

Mulyagonja made the remarks on Thursday morning while meeting New Vision Editors at the company headquarter in Kampala.

"You hear of scandals where some politicians are involved but when they get the money, its ploughed back to meet the needs of their voters. To me the most corrupt are the civil servants and the technocrats who manage the resources and the tendering processes," she explained.

Asked to comment about the wealth declaration for political leaders and the response from the top leaders, Mulyagonga said: "The President declares his wealth and when we do the verification, we find out that what  he has declared is what it is on the ground. His wealth is known to those who live around his assets. You will find a house, cattle and other assets."

She congratulated New Vision upon 30 years of excellence and promised to join the company's activities particularly plant a one million trees project.

 The IGG said the inspectorate will liaise with integrity clubs in schools that are functional in over 50 districts in the implementation of the project.