By Our Reporters
On Wednesday, the IGG Irene Mulyagonja held a meeting with the leading clerics uniting under Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU). This was at Imperial Royale hotel where the IGG shared with them the challenges facing the fight against corruption and sought for their ideas. What they told her came down to nothing but lamentations resulting into pointing fingers in a name & shame fashion that saw them inadvertently list for her entities of government where they have experienced highest forms of corruption. One after the other, the clerics from different denominations shared experiences exposing what they insisted are the most corruption-riddled public institutions in Uganda. From Soroti came Bishop Oyet who accused the Okoth Ochora-led Uganda Police Force of corruption and improper conduct. Oyet said when the Togikwatako debate threatened to lead to violence late last year, he took steps to organize regular prayers aimed at exorcising the spirit of violence from the precincts of Parliament where violence often broke out. He said in the end, opposition supporters reacted by targeting him and his church in Soroti accusing him of being biased. Speaking in a heavy accent that some scribes resorted to making fun of, Oyet said in the end a decision was taken he needed police security for his premises. “But up to now coming to one year the leadership of the Ugandan police has made me pay for these police services which are supposed to be free,” he said insisting this symbolized obscurantism and corruption of the highest degree. He ended by asking if there is a way the IGG can weigh in and halt corruption tendencies by police. To him police simply ranks among the most corrupt government institutions. He said the bill for one year (Dec 2017-Dec 2018) had grown to something beyond what he can manage and called on the IGG to intervene.
JUDICIARY NOT SPARED;
Rev Hillary Kyafu from the Church of Uganda illustrated why he thinks the judiciary is very corrupt and rotten to the core. Speaking after Rev Grace Lubaale, who said had been a victim of the court system where he reported corruption 8 months ago and case has never been heard, Kyafu recommended the disbandment of the judiciary for the cases to now be resolved through cultural and church systems because that’s where people’s trust now lies. Lubaale said the IG was hardly any better because even there, lots of cases remain uninvestigated and “everything dies after noise has been made about a case in the media-you don’t hear about it again.” Andrew Lugolobi, the Auxiliary Bishop for Kampala diocese, said having lost hope in both courts and the IG, Ugandans these days report corruption to the clergy “and that’s why we now know a lot of these things.” He supported Oyet who said even when the clergy know a lot, they are unsafe and can’t reveal it to the IGG or any other authority because the perpetrators have become too powerful and can kill the clergy and none of them gets prosecuted. “For you are armed. For us aren’t armed. You want us to reveal these things to you and then get harmed,” Oyet said prompting Mulyagonja to say that her teams courageously take on corruption because they are brave and not because of the guns attached to her office. Another cleric pinned DPP Mike Chibita saying corruption in prosecution matters has escalated a lot during his reign because “he keeps saying he doesn’t have powers over the corrupt Resident State Attorneys.” The cleric said he has reported grand corruption by the RSAs to Chibita several times but he never takes action “because he says his hands are tied and he can only cause a transfer but can’t fire any of them.” The man of God said Chibita’s response had left him helpless after his flock members reported a lot to him. Lugolobi told Mulyagonja there was no doubt police is the most rotten. The CoU reverend referred to a certain OC CID (he never disclosed names) who has become stinking rich in such a short time. “He is my Christian and he always tells me. He and others cause the jailing of people in civil cases can you imagining detaining people that way? People are rotting in police cells for months and officers are making money…This particular Christian OC confessed to me that he is building three apartments at a go yet his salary is just Shs800,000! He said God has blessed him that way and as the clergy we can’t do much where things have reached because they will kill us for nothing.” Sheikh Wasswa, who deputizes Mubajje at Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, said Muslim clerics too have a lot of info on graft but can’t say anything because “we have become too timid for the way we continue to be murdered, witch-hunted and arrested on flimsy cases.” Speaking immediately after Sheikh Wasswa, Monsignor Charles Kasibante of the Catholic Church admitted corruption had become too entrenched under the NRM era that he is protesting by not using public hospitals anymore because corruption has eroded everything. However, speaking as the leader of the IRCU delegation at the IGG meeting, Kasibante urged his colleagues not to despair but have hope things will get better someday through prayer and exemplary leadership.
CLERGY NOT TRUSTED ANYMORE;
Mulyagonja had implored the clergy to use their influence and contribute to the fight against corruption by doing many things including mobilizing the big crowd that should on 10th December come to Kololo to listen to the President who will be giving his ideas about graft. But Rev Lubinga told her she was expecting too much because Ugandans don’t listen to or believe in their religious leaders anymore “because many of the people only come for baptism and never come back to us so we can’t control what they do.” The clerics also wondered why Public Service doesn’t make it mandatory for people applying for jobs to carry a certificate of good conduct from their places of worship. “Sometimes people write that they are this religious faith when actually we don’t even know them for good conduct and when things have soured Public Service considers coming to us.” Another cleric said Iguma Isoke’s Uganda Land Commission was the most corrupt government institution and the consensus at the meeting by most clerics was that ULC should be gazzetted as the headquarters of corruption in Uganda. They claimed quite often ULC officials coordinate and recruit fellow corrupt officers in other relevant entities of government to expedite execution of fraudulent land transactions. Some clerics didn’t spare State House saying the fact that the President is sometimes duped to appoint people he doesn’t adequately know well about is proof of the mediocrity and impropriety at the top seat of power in Uganda. They also didn’t spare Grace Akullo’s CID based in Kibuli whose operatives they said participate in killing people (innocents) in case of a dispute in order to take their land. Rev Samuel Kanyike of Kampala diocese said the fact that powerful people in government are clearly hostile to Mulyagonja’s work as IGG is proof there is no way the war on graft can ever be won.
BLAMING THE MEDIA;
A female representative from the SDA church put the blame on media saying she had become scandalized because of the daily corruption-related bad news she watches on TVs like Bukedde. She wondered whether there is a way IGG can force the media to stop broadcasting bad news which she said had become too much for Uganda to make any progress. Edward Lubega, a youthful evangelist from Born Again Federation, said the political elders’ conduct of business in a way that glorifies “the do what I say and not what I do” approach was to blame for rampant corruption amongst young people. “The elders who are exemplary and despise corruption are laughed at for example former Prime Minister Nsibambi. He had a clean public record but nobody recognizes him,” he said. Mulyagonja said the IG can’t participate in identifying and prizing people perceived to be clean “because it kills our credibility in case that same person is in future implicated in corruption dealings.” She said other organizations are free to organize ceremonies to celebrate saints like Apollo Nsibambi but it can’t be the IG. A lady from Nsambya Catholic Secretariat said Mulyagonja was just courageous otherwise not many can accept the job of IGG in today’s Uganda anymore because it’s the riskiest and means losing ones’ life. The Catholic lady was hopeful all wasn’t lost. She said many people including herself had given up on police but the way Museveni has sort it out by removing Kawukumi in such a short time gives her hope the same Museveni and political will can stamp out corruption. Thanking Mulyagonja for following up on the earlier meeting her deputy George Bamugemereire had with them last month, the clerics promised to work with the IGG giving her confidential information only in confidence to avoid reprisals and Monsignor Kasinante said it will have to be by way of well-structured presentations as opposed to open meetings where every cleric gives his or her unprocessed views on corruption. Mulyagonja said these would become regular interfaces but challenged the clerics to stop cowardizing because the war against graft won’t be for the faint-hearted. “Even us we are targeted. They even put their threats in writing saying we shall kill the IGG and her two deputies but we carry on because that’s what our country expects of us,” she said. Mulyagonja also explained why nobody should be deterred by the angry outbursts the President made some time back bashing her office. “He is surrounded by politicians as you all know who have all sorts of interests and they keep misinforming him. I think sometimes he gets to see things better once the proper facts are brought to his attention.” She said the creation of parallel agencies by the President shouldn’t be seen as acts of hostility to her but genuine efforts to strengthen the fight against corruption. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
