Impunity of African leaders must end

Some years ago, allegations of corruption and abuse of office in Britain became a matter of concern that steps were taken by Parliament not only to enquire into them but to report on ways of elimination.  In consequence, the Nolan Committee was set up and made a number of findings and recommendations. The Committee offered seven principles which should govern activities in public life.  These are summarised below and every country in Africa would be better off if the same guidelines could be adopted for its governance, these are:

Selflessness. It was recommended that holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest.  They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends.

Integrity – holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.

Objectivity – in carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.

Accountability – holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

Openness – holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions they take.  They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.

Honesty – holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest; and

Leadership – holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

In addition, the Committee recommended that Members of Parliament should avoid conflicts between personal and public interest and should such conflicts become inevitably, they should be resolved them in favour of public interest.  Members should not accept bribes to influence their conduct as Members of Parliament.  Members should register their interests in accordance with the rules of Parliament.  No Member should act as a paid agent of any power, body or organisation for any proceedings before Parliament.  No improper use should be made of any payments or allowances made to Members of Parliament for public purposes and the rules of Parliament which apply to such payments or allowances must be strictly adhered to. Lastly, Members should not use information gained from Parliament whilst they are Members thereof, for personal financial gain.

It is strongly recommended that these guidelines should also apply to Ministers, public officers and workers in all institutions whether political, administrative or judicial.  Uganda has created the office of the Inspector General of Government that investigates reports and sometimes prosecutes the corrupt, abusers of public office and persons who indulge in maladministration generally. It should be encouraged to do more. The major problems the office of the Inspector General of government has faced are the hostility, resistance towards and, sometimes total disregard of its findings and recommendations from all and sundry including some members of the Executive. The other public offices which could assist in this area are the Human Rights Commission and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. Unfortunately both appear to be less inspiring in the combat of misgovernance and maladministration. The zeal of some of the officials in the two institutions to please the rulers rather than to serve the ruled appears to be overwhelming.

From time to time, the press have investigated and reported on several holders of public office who have indulged in corrupt practices, or who have the “get rich quick” mentality and do so, or who are connected with shoddy or corrupt schemes and organisations, the acts and behaviour of which are contrary to the Leaderships Code. Many such reports are often ignored by those concerned, and those which are acted upon yield very few positive results.

The proper exercise of executive power means a radical departure from the prevailing attitudes, whether official or unofficial, which appear to condone wrong-doing and reward corruption in public administration. A radical transformation of public service and accountability is long overdue in Uganda. It is not often appreciated that failure to exercise executive power, or to exercise it wrongly, is as bad as its excessive use or abuse. To fight against corruption, it is necessary to look at official and public attitudes towards corruption, which is rampant in this country with partial or total failure to exercise executive power to fight it.