The Minister of Security, Jim Muhwezi (pictured), has blamed the rampant corruption in Uganda on the refusal by witnesses to testify in court against corrupt suspects, saying many people only lament about the corruption but refuse to report corruption cases.
“I think this government has fought corruption going by the many institutions that are in place and the statutory ones like Police, Inspectorate of Government, and Anti-Corruption Units and there are so many and they are all working. The only problem is that the vice is rampant and wide spread. During investigations, we face a problem when people report about corruption but they don’t want to testify in court, so it becomes a problem,” said Muhwezi.
Muhwezi’s remarks were in response to questions raised by MPs on why corruption continues to increase despite the several anti-corruption agencies that have been created by President Museveni, under State House. Muhwezi had led the team from State House and Security agencies to present the 2024/25 national budget framework paper before Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee.
“But otherwise, there is also a problem, people say like we are all saying, and when you say, come and tell me and let us go and arrest them, they say ‘let this not be from me’. This corruption isn’t by public officers, as you know even in our private engagements with society, people are corrupt. You give them work, they steal. So there is a vice, it is a disease, it needs to be fought broadly,” said Muhwezi.
This was after Robert Kasolo (Ik Ik County) said: “There are many monitoring Units that have been put in place by President Museveni, and much as the President has put in place all those bodies, corruption is increasing day by day and the President keeps lamenting. As we appropriate money, there must be accountability for money. Why is corruption increasing when these bodies are there? How can they account for the money?”
Muhwezi says Ugandans are very corrupt.
Rose Obigah (Terego DWR) asked officials from State House to stop massaging corruption, saying that if it requires Uganda to adopt punitive punishments like killing people found guilty of corruption through the firing squad, then that should be adopted.
“I need punitive action on corruption, if we are just going to continue massaging corruption, I am telling you, we are just going to continue facing embarrassment. There is too much corruption, what can we do together? We need something punitive, no more talking even if it meant firing squad, I think I will go for that. It is too much, it is bothering us day and night,” she said.
