Fellow Ugandans,
In aggressively combating corruption within governmental agencies, I would like to suggest to the administration and the current IGG to appoint a special prosecutor, the likes of Faith Mwondha, to carry out televised trials which could highlight the damage to society, caused by the common practice of cooking books in highly sensitive ministry positions. I’m highly doubtful that the perpetrators of these graft crimes are fully aware of the impact and crisis of scarcity that their actions bring on in our poor communities.
Since we are the only country bent on employing all the folks of the EA community, in accounting, procurement, military, police, farming, health and other sensitive positions charged with direct or indirect oversight of life or death issues of our citizens. We need a better vetting process to find out whether a hired employee is not there to malice a region or the entire country through their impropriety, as key providers in a public office.
It behooves our legislatures those native Ugandans in charge of all hiring and firing to have all employees go through patriotism classes and the signing of some oath that lists consequences if folks are ever charged with dereliction of duty.
What would really work as a great public agency self audit is the adoption of a “Graft mitigating plan for each agency” which would include the kick in, at any whiff of suspicion of corruption within an agency. One of my favorite items would read like this: All critical employees charged or not charged with impropriety, have to enroll in patriotism training and a series of classes on ethics deemed as mandatory training for the entire agency to fulfill their “fitness to serve”, quota.
If folks in that public offices are trained and in-serviced as part of public and corporate governance, we could see a reduction in dubious transactions, it would definitely help bring on a heightened awareness of the progressive discipline process.
On the technology front, I would like to see a uniformity of accounting services to make auditing easy for upper management and any oversight committee.
There is no reason why an item that repeatedly tips all the cost scales on the ledger, such as the “CHOGM ROADS” should not have a trigger, that requires the sign off by the IGG-until the country gets out of this corruption crisis. Many companies in America require the signature of upper management including the CEO, to release big project amounts. I would hope that our legislatures would set the limit amounts and required signatories including the IGG’s office for good accountability.
Moving to an ERP system such as PeopleSoft, can help run the accounting for the entire nation as is done in many corporations. These ought to be court mandated implementations to halt graft and to permanently alter the prevailing conditions in our service sector where lack of accountability has resulted in loss of lives.
I cannot emphasize enough the need to sensitize public employees and to show them first hand the impact of impropriety and abuse of public office has on the poor people of Uganda.
If these symptoms of graft are left untreated, I’m afraid the danger of resentment tribally will continue to build up as under currents within the non-ruling tribes.
Tendo kaluma
Uganda living in Boston
ugandansatheart said,
November 9, 2009 at 7:04 pm
ON THE ENERGY ROW, MONITOR 7TH NOV. 09
Tabu Butagira’s article on the row between the bureaucrats at the Energy Ministry headed by their PS on one hand and their Minister, Eng. H. Onek on the other, is an another eye-opener and confirmation of the urgent need of a moral revival for Uganda.
The corrupt in Uganda have become so brave that they will use any method, bordering on blatant impunity, to oppose even the obvious, and the logical that can even be “seen” by a blind man.
Now, Eng. Onek is under fire imagine, and by who? By the same people the Saleh inquiry was set up to investigate. Can a ‘thief’ credibly investigate himself? Indeed, the problems of the Energy Ministry have their genesis from among the bureaucrats. They are the ones in the dock. How can they then be expected to give an unbiased input?
What is shocking is that PS Kabagambe, instead of behaving as the custodian of “public good”, is now trying to cover-up the same people he is supposed to chastise. March on Eng. Onek, with your “Revolutionary methods of work” – the methods talked of in the “Chaka-Mchaka” courses. Kabagambe should be disciplined or as a minimum, be transferred. He is the dinosaur of that Ministry and a shift would bring in fresh air. Otherwise, he should be told that his properties will be audited and he will be shamed and put to account. Let him stop that arrogance and impunity.
Christopher Muwanga,
Nakasero,
Kampala.
Kearon Kenneth said,
November 16, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I do think Uganda we should go back on drawing board and teach our children the bad side of corruption becouse it has been found out that our child start carring out corruption at an early stage.Frarmilies as a child to dosome thing she or he has to be given someting first.
Matiluza Mukasa said,
November 16, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Mr Tendo,
You hit the nail on the head. I have been privately preaching an ERP solution for a while An ERP could easily solving our accounting issues. Corporation with multi-billion dollar revenues use ERPs for accounting. Our budget is just $2 billion. How simple would it be to account for every shillling?
Actually I believe it was the First Lady of Syria that championed introduction of SAP for accounting of her nations’s resources. The system has greatly improved fiscal management.
I will write more next time.