The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Religious leaders under the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda- IRCU have asked the government to involve them in the fight against corruption.
This is carried in their first-ever pastoral letter on corruption entitled ‘Enhancing Voice and Action on Integrity and Ethical Conduct in the fight against corruption in Uganda.
“We implore the government to inculcate and mainstream ethical values in all government and training institutions. This should be done in partnership with religious leaders, designated Anti-corruption agencies, the private sector and civil society organizations,” reads part of the pastoral letter signed by eight religious leaders.
The letter was presented to the Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG) George Bamugemereire on Wednesday at the National Anti-Corruption Conference 2020 at Sheraton Hotel.
The conference was held as the world marks the International Anti-corruption Day under the theme ‘Promoting Social Accountability through Active Citizenry’.
The clerics including the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, the Mufti of Uganda Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, the Archbishop of Kampala Dr Cyprian Kizito and others say that they remain the most trusted custodians of ethical values for the country.
The religious leaders add that they are best placed to advocate for a corrupt-free country, talk against the ills of corruption and demand for accountability from their religious institutions and duty bearers in government.
Dr Joseph Serwadda, the presiding Apostle- Born Again Faith in Uganda said that the first pastoral letter on the fight against corruption in Uganda is one of the commitments by religious leaders to building a country that everyone wants.
“The written message to all religious leaders and the faithfuls in Uganda is a social accountability call of honesty and faithful stewardship. Therefore, the Uganda we all desire to see will only be possible if all of us take seriously our calling as stewards of God’s gifts including time, our lives, families, money and national resources,” he said.
Serwadda appealed to all religious leaders to be a voice and mirror which reflects God, the many faces of humanity in the fight against corruption.
In the pastoral letter, religious leaders acknowledge that they are aware of corruption within their worship places and call upon all faithfuls to resist the temptation of being poor managers of any kind of resources that are entrusted with them. The clerics say that honesty and faithful stewardship are virtues that are required of everyone as God’s ambassadors.
The clerics call upon the general public to live by example through self-sacrifice and steadfastness so that they remain morally upright and exemplary.
Studies like the Global Integrity Report have in the past years estimated that more than half of the government’s budget is lost to corruption each year.
According to the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International, Uganda is the 149th least corrupt nation out of 175 countries. The country’s best ranking on corruption was in 1996 when Uganda was ranked 43, reaching an all-time high of 151 in 2016.
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