It is president Museveni undermining Uganda’s war against corruption- Opposition Leader

By Valerian Kkonde                                 

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

Opposition Leader, Hon Nandala Mafaabi, has accused President Yoweri Museveni of deliberately undermining the war against corruption.

Nandala, the area MP for Budadiri and former Chairman of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), emphasized that Museveni’s failure to make corruption a risky venture, coupled with his application of different methods of treatment of corrupt cases is the reason why corruption is persisting in Uganda.

Nandala laid bare his views during an interview with Pearl News Service, after he was asked to explain the persistence of corruption in Uganda, amidst all the anti-corruption agencies, an anti-corruption legislation, a tough-talking president and a host of oversight agencies. Not to mention the many commissions of inquiry so far instituted.

“PAC has identified corruption and so have all these anti-corruption agencies. The corrupt few are also known but the problem is with the executive. The executive is supposed to prosecute. If the executive accepts to fight corruption, it must have zero tolerance to corruption. And to have zero tolerance it must not apply different methods of treatment of corruption cases. The president must be very clear in his words and actions,” he said.

Nandala Mafaabi went on to say that giving a different punishment to this person and exempting the other is undermining the fight against corruption, stressing that for the war against corruption to be fought successfully, the president must be willing to fight without exemptions.

For reference, Nandala pointed out Tanzania. He said that Tanzania’s success story against corruption is rotating on the president’s good will.

“His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete is willing to fight corruption and is leading by example. It is not too late for president Museveni to copy that.”

Defending the anti-corruption legislation in place, Nandala said that the law is able to curb graft but it is its application that is lacking.

“The law is clear. Anybody prosecuted, his assets must be confiscated and sent to prison,” Nandala pointed out, adding that another law should follow those outside the country as Tanzania is doing.

On the usefulness of the IGG to PAC Nandala said that this is yet to be seen.

“The IGG has his problems. You can’t pick one here and another there. The public will think that you are selective. If he wants to do a good job, which I must insist, he must look at all ministers when he decides to handle ministers. If he decides to look at the Permanent Secretaries then he has to look at all of them.

You can’t keep jumping from here to there.”

As an advice to the IGG, the Leader of Opposition said that he should introduce departments to do work of rapid complaints which come to his desk. He said that that is how PAC has been operating, and that he was never derailed from the activities he set his ayes on.

Nandala went on to say that because PAC does not have prosecuting powers, they had to refer some cases to the IGG but none of them was handled.

“A copy of the Auditor General’s report is also sent to the IGG. If he reads it, he would be able to see that there cases for prosecution and take them up without waiting for PAC to tell him.”

His attention drawn to parliament’s failure to lead by example, Nandala admitted that the withdrawal of the seventh parliament’s directory and the prosecution of some members over fraud and forgery was an indication that the institution is not above board, hastily adding that those are individuals tarnishing the image of parliament. He went on to say that even the current directory has problems, calling on the public to audit it.

On a positive note Nandala said that one part of parliament is willing to fight and it will fight on, and the war against corruption will be won. This, he vows, will be by going to the public court.

“We want the civil society, the public and the media to be on our side. Once they realize that their resources are being swindled, they will identify the thieves and their accomplices who have refused to take action. That is the public court where we are.”