Ugandans have all along wondered how a civil servant at the local government level, who earns Shs 800,000 per month, can run a private business worth between Shs 2 billion and Shs 8 billion. They often claim that these businesses are financed by bank loans, but the reality is that banks regulate the amount of money they lend to clients depending on their savings.
Little did Ugandans know that the money the government sends for road infrastructure, business, and water departments is being stolen by individuals.
What disappoints me is that, at the local government level, there are district internal auditors, while the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) is represented in every region. These institutions should conduct serious checks on government expenditure. However, because of corruption, officials from these two institutions connive with corrupt local government officials to swindle public funds.
This is why, in my own observation, they should scrap the IGG, district internal auditors, and external auditors. Look here: in every district, there are internal auditors assigned to audit district expenditure. But what happens is that, when it is time to audit, the chief administrative officer quickly mobilises all departments, including those without any queries, to raise money in the name of transport and fuel refunds. In fact, they begin bargaining before the auditors write very favourable recommendations on district expenditure, without even going to the field.
Even when a community whistleblower alerts IGG officials, they write to summon the suspected officials to their offices, where they also negotiate for their share of the payment. Once they receive their share, they keep quiet. In fact, Ugandans have stopped giving the IGG corruption tips because some IGG officials reveal the identities of community whistleblowers to the suspected officials.
I want to applaud the appointment of Hon. Balaam Atenyi as Minister of Local Government, who has decided to abandon his cool, air-conditioned office and spend much of his time exposing and arresting corrupt officials. This has woken up the most corrupt institutions, forcing them to pretend to be working. In fact, the IGG has only tried to wake up following Hon. Balaam’s anti-corruption exposés.
Indeed, even if the IGG and district internal auditors were doing their work diligently, Hon. Balaam would not be discovering everything happening in every district he visits.
I want to thank President Museveni for appreciating Hon. Balaam’s approach. On several occasions, those fighting corruption used to visit districts and meet only a few people, such as RDCs and CAOs, who do not give them the real issues, instead of meeting the public.
Following the corruption exposés by Hon. Balaam, the panicking Deputy Inspector General of Government, Ms. Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, has rushed to caution Hon. Balaam, claiming that his aggressive fight against corruption was outside the confines of the law. She issued that warning without even being ashamed of the institution she leads, which is among the most corrupt ones.
Anyone who can convince me to believe that the IGG is there to fight corruption in this country must first convince a monkey that honey is sweeter than a banana. If a monkey believes it, I will definitely believe that the IGG is fighting corruption.
I would like to appeal to the President to identify three more people like Hon. Balaam to help fight corruption in the country.
The writer is a senior veteran journalist.
