The corruption debate arose during a session on leadership, governance, and accountability. MPs from various political forces criticized the Government's Inspectorate of Human Rights (IG) for its performance in fighting corruption, while senior civil servants called for increased oversight and reforms to improve the quality of services. Paul Omara, a deputy from the Otuke district, questioned whether the IG was taking full advantage of its constitutional independence in the fight against corruption.
According to reports by former Government Inspector General Betty Olive Kamya, Uganda loses up to 10 Ush trillion annually due to corruption, and the Auditor General's reports continue to reveal cases of embezzlement of public funds, substandard work, incompetence and unjustified expenses in public institutions. Omara demanded that IGG explain whether investigations and prosecutions were conducted against high-ranking officials involved in corruption, saying that high-profile trials would serve as a deterrent.
Responding to these concerns, the government's Deputy Inspector General (DIGG), Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria, defended the institution's reputation, saying that the IG is working closely with the Auditor General's office and the Office of Public Asset Procurement and Management (PPDA) to investigate the cases identified during the audits. She said that the Inspectorate had recovered billions of shillings lost due to corruption, opened numerous cases and launched its own investigations, rejecting suggestions that they were acting only on the instructions of the president. «We are not waiting for His Excellency to draw our attention to the problems. We take on cases on our own initiative, and this is evident from our reports», she said. She called on MPs to play a more active role in the fight against corruption by reporting violations and supporting oversight bodies. «We have a collective responsibility to fight corruption», she said, noting that public participation remains an important factor in detecting abuse of office and misuse of public resources.
Former Attorney General Fred Ruhindi supported the call for increased accountability, arguing that corruption should be seen as stealing from ordinary Ugandan citizens, not just as ethical misconduct. He argued that a functioning democracy should guarantee the provision of services, accountability, and the rule of law, calling on Parliament to strengthen institutions capable of overseeing the use of public resources. He noted that corruption deprives citizens of vital public services and weakens democracy. He suggested that democratically elected MPs should lead the fight against corruption. According to the veteran politician, democracy must ensure that the system provides services to the public, accountability and the rule of law. Ruhindi cited the example of China's anti-corruption reforms as proof of how countries can transform government institutions through strong accountability mechanisms and political will.
Discussions also touched on Uganda's decentralization policy, with lawmakers questioning whether it was still fulfilling its initial promise to bring services closer to citizens. Grace Freedom Kwiyukwini, former Minister of State for Northern Uganda Affairs, called for a comprehensive assessment of the policy, arguing that while local government structures and funding have expanded over the years, there has been little assessment of their real impact on service delivery. Kviyukvini, a deputy from Ora district, noted that the government is currently directing resources to counties, sub-counties and parishes, but wondered if citizens are receiving better services as planned.
Lucie Nakyobe Mbonye, Head of the Civil Service and Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers, agreed that some government policies, including decentralization, require urgent review. She said that many district institutions seemed to have moved away from their original goal of improving service delivery, pointing to widespread complaints from the public about the poor response of the authorities, despite the expansion of local government structures. «We need to evaluate this policy and probably amend or revise it», Nakyobe said, adding that the government should increasingly measure the impact of policies rather than just tracking metrics and costs. A number of MPs also expressed concern about persistent absenteeism among civil servants, especially in local governments, saying weak oversight continued to undermine the quality of services.
Lucie Nakyobe Mbonye proposed the introduction of performance agreements throughout the civil service, from the highest echelons of government to ordinary employees, in order to improve accountability and ensure that officials are evaluated based on measurable indicators. IGG agreed that absenteeism remains a serious problem, but attributed much of the problem to poor supervision rather than gaps in legislation. She said that increased supervision had already led to improvements in some institutions after managers were made responsible for staff attendance and performance.
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