CSOs call for strong mechanism to deal with corruption

CORRUPTION     

KAMPALA - Corruption continues to be the biggest hurdle towards the development of the country.

Uganda continues to be ranked among the most corrupt countries in the East African Region and the World; as per the Transparent International (TI).

According to the 2018 TI Corruption Index report, Uganda moved three places down from last year's 151 position to 149th position out of 180 countries.

It was ranked the third most corrupt country in East Africa after South Sudan and Burundi.

While discussing the recommendations of the Auditor General (AG) and the Inspectorate of Government (IG), several Civil Society Organization (CSOs) and government officials attributed the slow growth of the country to poor service delivery; which is directly impacted by the massive corruption within government departments and agencies.

The event was organized by the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) in Kampala; attended by various CSOs and government officials.

"It is corruption which is leading the country into a high debt burden. It is even so unfortunate; that some of our officials in government decide to embezzle even the little we borrow," Christine Byiringiro, a Programme Officer under the Policy Analysis and Governance Programme at the Uganda Debt Network.

She noted that despite the AG and IG's reports, plus their recommendations on dealing with the situation; the country still sees an increase in corruption cases.

"Public funds are being diverted by some few individuals for selfish satisfaction. As a result, this has affected the quality of services that would have helped Ugandans to improve their livelihood," she noted.

"Why does Parliament take long to consider the AG and IG's recommendations?  I think there is also political interference in the work of the anti-corruption agencies," she noted.

Call for lifestyle audits in ministries

The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Commissioner for Internal Audit and Compliance, Dr. Protazio Begumisa suggested the introduction of lifestyle audit in all government ministries to get the perpetrators.

He said the mechanism is the only way to wipe out the wrong people from the system.

He explained that lifestyle audits easily help to investigate all public servants in different Ministry Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on their accumulated wealth.

"It is hard to get people in the act, which is why the corruption is still a very big issue in the country. On many occasions we know that someone is corrupt but it is very hard to prove," he explained.

He said the same has been approved by the URA's board to investigate those staff whose assets are questionable.

"We target those employees who have accumulated a lot of wealth over what they earn. You find a person who has worked for five years; when they have accumulated assets worth sh5bn," he noted.

He added: "You look at an officer of government having their children studying in most expensive school in the Nairobi and they even do not use a bus".

Those claiming to have accumulated wealth through other businesses must show tax returns.

Stephen Ojiambo, from the ministry of finance, said corruption is a big battle that needs all stakeholders on board.

"We also need to inculcate morals in our education curriculum," he added.

Richard Okuku, from the ACCU, said they embarked on a three years project; "Strengthening Partnership for Anti-corruption Responsiveness and Citizen Engagement (SPARC)" to promote accountability.

"Why are we always ranked among the most corrupt? We want to use the demand for accountability to fight corruption," he noted.