By Julius Muhumuza
The Government of Uganda has intensified its fight against corruption, describing the vice as one of the biggest obstacles to the country’s social and economic transformation. Officials say stronger oversight of public programmes and greater citizen participation will be key to safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.
Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre on Thursday, the Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Milly Babalanda, announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening accountability and ensuring that government-funded projects deliver value to citizens.
Babalanda said corruption continues to undermine national development by diverting resources intended for critical sectors such as health, education, infrastructure and wealth creation programmes. She noted that the misuse of public funds denies Ugandans the full benefits of government investments and slows the country’s development agenda.
The Minister reaffirmed President Yoweri Museveni’s commitment to ensuring that every public resource is used for its intended purpose. She warned that public officials involved in corruption, negligence or abuse of office would face legal action.
As part of the renewed campaign, Babalanda directed all Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and Resident City Commissioners (RCCs) to intensify monitoring and supervision of government programmes in their respective jurisdictions.
She said every government-funded project, regardless of its size or location, must be closely monitored to ensure quality implementation, value for money and timely completion.
According to the Minister, RDCs and RCCs have a critical responsibility to ensure that government programmes benefit the intended communities and that public resources are protected from corruption, mismanagement and poor supervision.
Babalanda further instructed RDCs and RCCs to work closely with anti-corruption agencies, local government leaders, technical officers and community members to detect and report cases involving the misuse of public funds, substandard work on government projects and other forms of corruption.
She also called for greater public involvement in promoting transparency and accountability. The Minister directed all RDC and RCC offices across the country to prominently display government toll-free hotline numbers to enable citizens to report corruption, abuse of office, poor service delivery and other forms of misconduct.
Babalanda urged Ugandans to play an active role in protecting public resources by reporting wrongdoing, saying citizen participation is essential to ensuring government programmes achieve their intended impact.
She said the government’s renewed anti-corruption drive will focus on strengthening monitoring systems, enhancing accountability and fostering collaboration between government institutions and the public.
The Minister expressed confidence that stricter supervision, effective enforcement of the law and active citizen participation would improve service delivery, protect public resources and accelerate Uganda’s social and economic transformation.
