BY RYEKOLAL RAPHIE-KAMPALA UGANDA

The Ugandan Parliament is debating a Bill that will involve citizens in the fight against corruption following an increase in embezzling of public funds by government workers.

The bill which they Whistled as Protection Bill 2010 will not only create an enabling environment for citizens to freely disclose information on corrupt or improper conduct in public and private sectors, but they will also be rewarded for the co operations.

However, there is scepticism whether this legislation will work in a country where corruption has become a way of life. "It is apparent that corruption has been institutionalised as an acceptable way of life," according to the Survey done 2008.


It has been noted that "Corruption is one of the most serious problems hindering development in Uganda," says Mukotani Rugyendo, senior advocacy and communications officer, at Uganda Debt Network, an advocacy and lobbying coalition against corruption.

And he continues to say that "recently released World Bank report estimated that 250 million dollars is swindled annually by government officials. Much of this occurs through procurement and awarding of tenders. Subsequently, this has affected service delivery for the majority poor".


But according to architect Ethics and Integrity Minister Nsaba Buturo, the Bill, can legislation be an effective tool in the fight against corruption? "Laws are not necessarily the cure, but they are essential and we need to go further and appeal to the conscious of our people We believe that a combination of necessary laws that punish those who engage in corrupt practices can work,"


However, there are also concerns whether legislation can work in a country where citizens are not aware of what happens in public offices, especially since the Access to Information Act has not been effectively implemented since its adoption in 2005.

"Although there is an Access to Information Act, it is not easy to get access to records on corruption. We are trying to compile a dossier on corruption to find out how we much have been lost in corruption in different sectors. But getting that information is not easy," says Maureen Agaba, the head of the governance and rights programme at the Uganda Debt Network.

"I regret that the Access to Information Act has not been operationalised. That was not the intention," Buturo says.

There are also concerns that citizens may not become whistle blowers until they are able to link their poverty with corruption,because "we should be able to automatically link our (poverty) situation to this grand monster of corruption at macro level. But we are not able to do it.

Even though we need some awareness creation and civic education that can now bring those macro level issues to the medium and micro level to show people how these things are interrelated,according to Marren Akatsa-Bukachi Executive Director East African Sub regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women.
ENDS