IGG to incite public against corrupt officials

By Olivia Nabaggala

11^th July 2023

The Inspector General of Government Beti Olive Kamya has said as a new strategy to fight corruption, her office is working on a new approach aimed at inciting the public against corrupt government officials.

Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre to mark the 20th African Anti-corruption Day celebrated today, July 11, Kamya said the public must understand that there is a relation between their miserable lives and the actions of government officials who squander money meant for the improvement of their welfare.

She is optimistic that through this approach, the public will understand that drug shortages in hospitals, poor infrastructure, and poverty among others happen because some people somewhere embezzled public resources which would have improved their livelihood.

To popularize this approach, she added, her office will continue using the media through talk shows, and Barazas to educate citizens on their role in the fight against corruption.

She said the action of publicizing government corruption and inaction has already proven effective in forcing change.

According to estimates by the IGG, Uganda loses up to 10 trillion Shillings in covert and overt corruption every year.

However, the IGG reports indicate that only 2.3 billion Shillings were recovered last year even when 33.2 billion Shillings had been ordered to be recovered by various corrupt government officials.

This year’s commemoration is marked under the theme “‘African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, 20 years after; Achievements and Prospects,” Call to action; “How can we accelerate the fight against corruption in the next decade?”

In Uganda, the day is marked under the theme, “Strategies and Mechanisms to Reduce the Cost of Corruption in Uganda.”

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