NGOs dismiss Museveni’s anti-graft rhetoric, say President lack goodwill

Non Governmental Organisations in Uganda have criticised and dismissed President Yoweri Museveni’s anti-corruption remarks he made while closing a three-day ministers workshop yesterday at Kololo Independence grounds.
While addressing ministers, Mr Museveni struck a heavy-handed tone, revealing that he knew corrupt officials and intends to deal with them mercilessly. The president indicated that he is still gathering information to sue these officials in courts of law.

“I have reported about people who have been asking for bribes from companies and businesses. This must stop. We cannot tolerate it because it will kill the future of our country. Everybody knows, and I also know, I actually know, those who are asking for bribes but I don’t have evidence to arrest them, so u should neither ask, nor accept even if they give a bribe or a favour…….,” Said Mr Museveni, while addressing a congregation of ministers and other government officials.

However, high profile personalities from different NGO’s have watered down his remarks and labelled them “double standards and hypocrisy” of the president.
Ms Cissy Kagaba, the head of the Anti Corruption Coalition (AAC) urged the president to cease mere talking and take serious steps, with promptness, against corrupt officials. She emphasised the urgent need by the president to deal with such individuals without any delays and also warned that the population would lose trust in him since he would be viewed as a man of mere words, not actions.

“What we were expecting from him is coming out and prosecute these ministers because he has said this on several counts and it has turned into a song. Ugandans are going to stop believing what the president tells them about fighting corruption because we know as a president, he has ministries, money to hold these officials accountable and treat them with an iron hand”

“The president should abandon mere talking and apprehend these ministers such that people understand that he is serious, together with his government in fighting corruption,” remarked Ms Kagaba.
Ms Sarah Birete of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), regretted the president’s remarks and advised him not to talk about such matters anymore, due to the fact that he cannot afford them, and that even his NRM party operations are greatly engulfed in graft.

“We have seen these acts over again, others run to the president, and forgives them. When corruption cases reach court, those who are well connected go through. I don’t think there is anything they can do about corruption. These matters are now out of Mzee’s strike envelope. His methodology of transversing the nation with bags of money, NRM operations are all run in a corrupt manner, so there is nothing else they can do,” remarked Ms Birete.

For years, Human rights activists, opposition politicians and NGO’s in Uganda have denounced president Museveni’s double standards in fighting corruption by attacking his anti-corruption remarks with sharp criticisms.
During the state of the nation address on June 7th, 2018, the president blamed then inspector General of Government (IGG) Justice Irene Mulyagonja for not doing enough to tackle graft. In response, a fearless Mulyagonja criticised the president and made it clear that corrupt officials hide behind the president’s back to evade justice, implicating him directly.

Uganda is among the most corrupt countries in the world, which has greatly crippled her economy and worsened the debt burden. On January 15th, 2021, Colonel Edith Nakalema who heads the State House Anti Corruption Unit stated that the state loses about 2 trillion shillings to corruption officials, money that would have been invested in developmental projects.