The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Uganda’s causes of disunity mainly spring from fears that public officials are cutting up the national cake among themselves. During the last 12 years, most people especially the top brass had been grabbers- Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, September 1979
COMMENT | ANDREW BESI | On July 23, Ugandans marched to parliament in expression of their frustration and anger towards wide spread corruption. Of course, as we now know, this 11th Parliament, under the stewardship of Mrs. Anita Annet Magogo (nee Among), is seem by many as a facilitator of grand corruption.
But in truth, the institution of parliament has been an absolutely corrupt one since 2006, as members on all all sides of the House are known to put their personal interests before those of the Nation.
They are not the only ones considered corrupt in Uganda.
By their estimation, gathered from a comprehensive study published at the end of 2022, the Inspectorate of Government (formerly IGG) says nearly Ugx 10 trillion is stolen each year by traitorous civil servants working with saboteurs in the private sector and overseen by House Committees.
This high figure was collaborated by the latest Police Crime Report, showing that last year, on each single day, including on religious holiday seasons of Easter and Iddi, Ugx 500m was stolen.
Let me put this another way: when President Museveni addressed us this Saturday past, he announced that Uganda’s manufacturing sector was growing. Indeed, official government figures show that annual returns from the manufacturing sector are now worth an estimated USD 2.5bn. This is approximately USD 250k less than the Ugx 10 trillion stolen.
Therefore, if these trends of corruption continue, then by May 2026 when citizens gather at Kololo to witness President Museveni once again take oath as President, nearly USD 11bn (Ugx 50 trillion shillings) will have been stolen. All 6 agencies of State charged with fighting corruption, again going by current trends, would only be able to recover about 5% (USD 550m) of this money.
Perhaps this is why there are many who now believe that this NRM government, led by President Museveni is incapable of meaningfully tackling corruption because they are beneficiaries? President Museveni’s frequent reference to wanainchi as the vanguard against corruption falters on itself because of inaction on his part.
Consider this. In 2022 while addressing over 10,000 youths who gathered for an Investment and Patriotism Symposium at our ceremonial grounds in Kololo, President Museveni pointed out that the fight against corruption also requires citizens to rise up and say NO!
As way of example, he pointed out that for the Parish Development Model to bear good fruit in bringing the 3.5 million households in the subsistence sector into the money economy, the youth MUST “fight corruption wherever you are because you know we have sent money to your parishes,” before adding, “This is your money. Fight for your portion.”
Well, my colleagues at the Ministry of ICT&NG took this message to heart and questioned certain questionable transactions involving the ministry, and players in the private sector. These included a seemingly dubious transaction involving a private TV station, oddities highlighted by the Office Of the Auditor General and flagged as “Media boosting” as well as use of Innovation Funds under the NIISP programme and the role of CenteTech, the use of monies flagged as NTR from UCC … The reward: 11 months and counting of non payment of our monthly dues.
As a result, the ministry has now abrogated its primary roles of Communication and National Guidance as well as advancement of modern Information Technology solutions in Uganda.
The tragedy of stories such as these is replicated across many government ministries, departments and agencies.
Trust in anti corruption agencies, as evidenced in studies done by Twaweza Uganda, is now eroded with many having no faith in them. Secretaries and their favored workers continue to “cut up the national cake among themselves”, while board members continue to “benchmark in foreign capitals” including Kigali – the poorest city in 1994.
“If a couchant lion postpones his spring too long, ” a wise man once said, “people will begin wondering whether he is not a stuffed specimen after all.” And so I join the thousands of disenfranchised, disgruntled Ugandans and urge Mzee that rather than threaten fire, fold your sleeves and let us rid our country of corruption.
Ugx 10 trillion spread over our 12,000 villages has the potential to cause universal socio-economic transformation. It has the potential, your excellency, to cement your legacy as a cynosure of progressive and transformative African thought leaders.
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The writer is a student of ‘Musevenomics’. An Optimist teetering on Pessimism
On X: @BesiAndrew
