The history of accountability and corruption
scandals in Uganda is weary, when you have an investigation as the one
conducted by African Eye- BBC and the evidence of what is going on in
government hospitals, you would imagine that the government would act quickly
on such cases, but the evidence of little or no action is worrying. The
government is caught up in many scandals today, with the center focused on the
Bank of Uganda Money palette anomaly.
The Anti corruption Coalition of Uganda has
over the years documented many corruption scandals that government officials
have been involved in. Unfortunately, no tremendous punishments have been
imposed to deter others from engaging all the same.
One can strongly assert that the government
thrives on the mismanagement of funds and resources. There should be stringent
punishments for public servants caught stealing from the people, for Ugandans
to believe that something can be done and will be done to make sure that tax
payers’ resources are not wasted.
In the wake of the “Stealing from the Sick”
documentary, key questions come to our tables yet again; Are we as citizens,
holding our leaders accountable in providing for us the basic public goods that
we pay for? What are we doing to ensure service delivery in our constituencies
and do we even know our stake in making sure that services reach us?
More than ever, civic engagement becomes
very important in addressing issues of information sharing, participation and
engagement of different local constituencies in their development and agencies.
A person informed is empowered. Ugandans need to know what roles and
responsibilities they play in holding their leaders accountable.
Can we trust the arms of government to
provide comprehensive investigation, justice and resolution on those caught in
the corruption scandals and mismanagement of this season? We need to be able to
go beyond lamenting on what is and find working solutions with in our systems.
The lines have been drawn and to keep
quite is to choose the side of the perpetuators. We the people of Uganda and
our government need to come to a resolve to prevent and curb the cancer that
corruption is. Through whistle blowing for example, as witnessed in the
documentary, refusing to give bribes and holding our leaders accountable even
before the election season, we can collectively choose to work for the greater
good for our people and the progress of our Country.
Tricia Gloria Nabaye
RESEARCH FELLOW AT GREAT LAKES INSTITUTE FOR
STRATEGIC STUDIES
