MPs Demand Action on Corruption

The fight against corruption and the effectiveness of the decentralisation policy dominated discussions during the induction of the 12th Parliament, with MPS questioning whether anti-graft institutions are doing enough to hold powerful public officials accountable. The debate about corruption emerged during a session on leadership, governance and accountability.

Members of Parliament across the political divide challenged the Inspectorate of Government (IG) over its record in combating corruption, while senior public service officials called for stronger oversight and reforms to improve service delivery.  Paul Omara, the Otuke County member of parliament, questioned whether the IG was fully exercising its constitutional independence in tackling corruption.

He noted that previous reports by the former Inspectorate of Government, Betti Olive Kamya, estimated Uganda loses up to 10 trillion shillings annually through corruption, while successive Auditor General’s reports continue to expose cases of stolen public funds, shoddy works, incompetence and unexplained expenditure across government institutions. Omara challenged the IGG to explain whether it had investigated and prosecuted senior public officials implicated in corruption, saying high-profile prosecutions would serve as a deterrent.

“We haven’t seen anywhere… Can the IGG tell us whether they have investigated and prosecuted big names where public servants have stolen money, which would ordinarily act as a deterrent? Are you exercising your independence? Are you really doing your work?” he asked.


Responding to the concerns, Deputy Inspector General of Government (DIGG), Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria, defended the institution’s record, saying the IG works closely with the Office of the Auditor General and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) to investigate cases arising from audit findings.


She said the Inspectorate has recovered billions of shillings lost through corruption, prosecuted numerous cases and initiated investigations on its own, rejecting suggestions that it only acts after receiving directives from the President. “We don’t only wait for His Excellency to bring matters to our attention. We take on cases even at our own initiative, and that is all evident in our reports,” she said. 

She urged MPs to play a more active role in fighting corruption by reporting wrongdoing and supporting oversight institutions. “We all have a collective responsibility to fight corruption,” she said, noting that public participation remains essential in exposing abuse of office and misuse of public resources. 



Former Attorney General Fred Ruhindi reinforced the call for stronger accountability, arguing that corruption should be viewed as theft from ordinary Ugandans rather than merely an ethical lapse. “And I’m going to say this, not because I’m holier than thou. No one here is holier than thou. We are guilty as charged, like our former Speaker, the late Honourable Olanya would say. But we must move on; we must work,” Ruhindi said.  

He argued that a functioning democracy must guarantee service delivery, accountability and the rule of law, urging Parliament to strengthen institutions capable of checking abuse of public resources. “And by the way, corruption, why do we talk about corruption? Corruption is euphemism. Like in law, we talk about canal knowledge; that’s euphemism. Corruption is actually theft. It is robbery. Our people need services,” adding that corruption deprives citizens of critical public services and weakens democracy.

He suggested that MPS who were elected to Parliament through democracy must champion the fight against graft. To the veteran politician, democracy should ensure that the system ensures the provision of services to the people, accountability, and the rule of law. Ruhindi cited China’s anti-corruption reforms as an example of how countries can transform public institutions through strong accountability mechanisms and political commitment. 

The discussions also turned to Uganda’s decentralisation policy, with legislators questioning whether it is still delivering on its original promise of bringing services closer to citizens. Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, the former State Minister for Northern Uganda, called for a comprehensive evaluation of the policy, arguing that while local government structures and funding have expanded over the years, little assessment has been made of their actual impact on service delivery.



“I think the decentralization policy has not been evaluated for whatever impact we have achieved. And this really would be my appeal, that can we evaluate our decentralization policy? I’m just focusing on that one, because I see some glaring achievements. If we talk about leadership devolution in the grassroots, I think we have too many leaders now,” She said.     

Kwiyucwiny, the Ora County MP, noted that government currently sends resources down to districts, sub-counties and parishes, but questioned whether citizens are receiving better services as intended. “But what is the impact? We even have money going up to the village, to the parish. What is the impact? So my plea is, please let’s evaluate the decentralisation policy.”        

Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, agreed that some government policies, including decentralisation, require urgent review. She said many district institutions appear to have drifted from their original purpose of improving service delivery, pointing to widespread public complaints about poor responsiveness despite the expansion of local government structures. 

“We need to evaluate this policy and probably come up with amendments or reviews,” Nakyobe said, adding that government should increasingly measure the impact of policies rather than merely tracking outputs and expenditure.   


Several MPs also expressed concern over persistent absenteeism among public servants, particularly in local governments, saying weak supervision continues to undermine service delivery.  Nakyobe proposed introducing performance agreements across the public service, from the highest levels of government to lower-ranking officers, to improve accountability and ensure public officials are assessed on measurable performance. 

The IGG agreed that absenteeism remains a major challenge but attributed much of the problem to poor supervision rather than gaps in the law.  She said stronger supervision had already yielded improvements in some institutions after managers were held accountable for ensuring staff attendance and performance.