Ugandan President Museveni has flagged corruption as a significant obstacle to the nation’s full socio-economic transformation.
Talking shortly after Finance Minister Matia Kasaija unveiled Uganda’s $19.1 billion finances for 2024/25 on Thursday, the President reiterated his vow to struggle graft.
“We’re going to stamp out corruption…I don’t know the way they [the corrupt] neglect that we have now received a variety of energy [and] capability, which we will use, if mandatory…these corrupt individuals insult our heroes,” he stated.
“Now that they (the corrupt) don’t take heed to our recommendation, they’ve now attracted our full consideration, you will notice. We will crush this treachery. That is actually betrayal and we’re going to end it,” he added.
His terse remarks got here a day after the Anti-Corruption Court docket in Kampala remanded three Members of Parliament – all from his ruling Nationwide Resistance Motion (NRM) get together – to Luzira Jail on corruption fees.
They’re Lwengo District Girl consultant Cissy Namujju, Bunyole East MP Yusuf Mutembuli, and his Busiki South counterpart Paul Akamba.
Prosecution averred that the trio supplied to foyer Parliament’s Funds Committee to extend the annual allocations of the Uganda Human Rights Fee, the statutory rights physique, provided that 20 p.c of the increment was handed again to them.
“Mutembuli, Akamba and Dionizia … solicited an undue benefit … by asserting that they had been in a position to exert improper affect over the decision-making of the finances committee of parliament of Uganda to extend the UHRC finances,” the cost sheet, seen by Reuters, learn.
The accused denied the joint cost and had been despatched to jail, pending a bail listening to.
Mr Museveni stated he had been prompted to deploy “harsh” measures to sort out corrupt bureaucrats as a result of they didn’t heed his earlier “comfortable strategies”.
Final week, throughout his State-of-the-Nation Tackle Mr Museveni stated he obtained intelligence that some lawmakers had been conniving with officers from authorities departments to inflate their budgets in trade for a fee.
Detectives picked the lawmakers on Monday after President Museveni ordered the police and prosecutors to go after thieving officers.
On Wednesday, Ramathan Ggoobi, the finance ministry everlasting secretary and secretary to the treasury admitted that MPs have been tampering with the finances for years, shifting authorities priorities and changing them with different wants of their constituencies.
“Uganda has a variety of finances video games…Some (MPs) inform the accounting officers ‘Would you like more cash, sure come and discuss to us, we will put in more cash however it’s essential to return some’,” he stated.
Earlier in her remarks, Parliament Speaker Anita Amongst urged accounting officers of varied authorities entities to brazenly report all cases of affect peddling by legislators or parliamentary workers.
“Beforehand we have now urged accounting officers to share with the management of the legislature any incidences of affect peddling,” she stated, including: “Nevertheless, we haven’t obtained any such data. We urge accounting officers to keep up open channels of communication and coordination with the management of the legislature in pursuit of larger transparency and accountability.”
She additionally rallied MPs to desist from corrupt tendencies, together with soliciting “inducements from anyone”.
Learn: No respite for the besieged Ugandan speaker
Hours earlier than the finances studying, Deputy Parliament Speaker Thomas Tayebwa stated they had been working “very intently with the President and we hope that we are able to proceed cleansing up” the Home.
The opposition has lengthy criticised Museveni’s authorities for failing to prosecute prime officers for graft, saying the federal government was prioritising political loyalty over accountability in public funds.
The Chief of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, referred to as for expanded corruption investigations to incorporate the Parliamentary Fee, accusing it of missing transparency.
This comes when a piece of parliamentarians led by Theodro Ssekikubo are in search of about 170 signatures to censure 4 commissioners accused of awarding themselves $449,060.
The 4 embrace former Chief of the Opposition in Parliament and Nyendo-Mukungwe MP, Mathias Mpuuga; Bukooli County Central MP Solomon Silwany; Zombo District Girl MP Esther Afoyochan; and Rubanda District Girl MP Prossy Akampurira.
Some MPs informed this publication that the continuing police investigations have despatched shockwaves throughout the Home with some legislators opting to take journeys overseas briefly and a few staying away from Parliament.
In accordance with a number of Auditor Common stories Uganda loses about 40 p.c of its finances financing to corruption.
Sources throughout the Uganda police felony investigations division stated that detectives will even goal accounting officers of presidency ministries and departments, civil service and district accounting officers.
Further reporting by Reuters.
