Corruption: Enough is enough

Dec 05, 2011

As we commemorate the Anti-Corruption Week running upto December 9, a lot has happened in Uganda this year. Prior to elections, MPs received sh20m each into their accounts purportedly for monitoring government projects in their constituencies

By Moses Karatunga
 
As we commemorate the Anti-Corruption Week running upto December 9, a lot has happened in Uganda this year. Prior to elections, MPs received sh20m each into their accounts purportedly for monitoring government projects in their constituencies, which happened immediately after they passed a huge supplementary budget at the peak of the election campaign. Many concerned citizens termed this transaction as a bribe prompting some MPs to return the money. 
 
Former Vice-President Prof. Gilbert Bukenya was arrested for his role in CHOGM Motorcare deal that resulted into loss of billions of public funds. 
 
Ministers have taken leave following summons by the Anti-corruption court, while local government ministry officials have been suspended after their alleged involvement in a scam leading to loss of billions of shillings meant for procuring bicycles for local council members. 
 
There is also the alleged bribery in the oil sector which is now a subject of  investigations. 
This has triggered off a public debate on whether the documents implicating the ministers were forged or not.
All these are indicators of a society riddled with corruption. 
 
In some of the findings of a study carried out by Transparency International Uganda, a cross-section of people argue that if a corrupt official embezzled money and used it to develop their area, that is considered fine compared to the one who selfishly takes it all for himself. But also the public is to blame because they have time and again brought back these corrupt officials to public offices by voting them, and they hardly hold them accountable for their actions. 
 
We should always advocate transparency in all public dealings. If I might ask, what happened to those implicated in the GAVI and Global Fund scandals, with the exception of the few? Was this money paid back? Now that the Global Fund has run out of money for funding developing countries until 2014, what steps is the Government taking to ensure that drugs are available?
 
I was at a workshop recently and Dr Diana Atwine, the head of medicines and health services monitoring unit in the office of the President, raised an important issue that, whereas she has implicated many health officials on corruption, the weak laws have frustrated her efforts and as a result those implicated are not tried/punished. 
 
She blamed the Uganda Law Reform Commission for the weak laws in our country. Such weak laws discourage whistle blowers, who fear being victimised unlike MPs who are protected from prosecution for any utterance while in a parliamentary session. 
 
Corruption at health centres and at the district level is adversely undermining effective delivery of health services to the rural poor, who need them and nothing much is being done to address the issue.
 
Most importantly, those implicated in corruption should be forced to refund the money so that it is put to rightful priorities. 
President Yoweri Museveni has, time and again, advocated zero tolerance to corruption though less has been done to demonstrate commitment to that effect. There is a dire need to address impunity and guarantee sovereignty of courts by all stakeholders. 
 
The Government, Civil Society Organisations and the public should come up and fight corruption out of our society and it is every citizen’s duty as per Article 17(d) and (i) of the Ugandan Constitution to fight the vice. 
 
The  writer is a Communications officer, Transparency International Uganda
 

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