Govt not doing enough to fight corruption - Survey
Since 1986, President Museveni's adminstration has overly vowed to end the vice but statistics show otherwise. PHOTO/FILE/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Corruption has been consistently high since the 1990s.
- In response to the findings, newly appointed IGG, Ms Betty Kamya said her office, which is charged with fighting corruption- will focus on sensitizing masses on their role in ending the scourge.
The performance of government in the fight against corruption has plummeted, a perception survey conducted among citizens has revealed.
Findings of the survey termed ‘‘Failure or Fatigue? Examining the changing trends in perceived corruption in Uganda’’ conducted by research organization, Afrobarometer, indicates that majority of Ugandans believe that all the interventions put in place by government to fight corruption have not yielded results as they continue to experience incidents of the vice.
The survey covered about 3,600 people, and was conducted between September and October 2019 and December and January 2021.
According to the survey, 62 per cent of Ugandans say corruption has increased, while 84 per cent say the “government is performing poorly in its fight against corruption that figure up from 52 per cent in 2005”.
“Police rank top as the most corrupt public entity, followed by civil servants and tax officials. Perception of widespread corruption among judges and magistrates, MPs, police and government officials has increased since 2012,” the report states.
The survey highlights fear for retaliation as a major deterrent for the citizens to report incidents of corruption, with 77 per cent saying they would not report a bribery case.
Speaking at the release of the findings in Kampala on Thursday, Mr Francis Kibirige, said the perception was based on the experiences of the respondents on whether they had paid bribe in search for a public service.
He attributed the dropped ratings to failed “laws and interventions like the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) that have not yielded much in the corruption fight.’’
‘‘Citizens have not seen the impact of these interventions. There is a disconnect between what is being done and the public,” he said.
Whereas the ratings are perception based, Mr Kibirige says, they will eventually morph into extreme graft levels.
“Such a perception will also impact public access to services and influence action. The perception is informed by previous experiences of respondents who interacted with public offices,” he said.
The survey suggests a need for a national dialogue to find a solution to the vice that has cost the country some innumerable trillions of money.
In response to the findings, newly appointed IGG, Ms Betty Kamya said her office, which is charged with fighting corruption- will focus on sensitizing masses on their role in ending the scourge.
“People must personalize the effect of corruption and personalize the war against corruption. It is not going to be a one-man-show. It is a movement,” Ms Kamya said.
The Afrobarometer national investigator for Uganda, Dr Frederick Golooba said “what to do is a very difficult question' since ''corruption has been consistently high since the 1990s.'
''It is not just politicians that drive it but the Ugandan society. Sometimes we voluntarily offer this money,” he added.
