NICHOLAS A
Residents of Rukungiri are urging the government to intensify efforts to combat corruption, emphasizing that this is crucial for improving the country’s economy and enhancing service delivery.
Marking International Anti-Corruption Day, many locals criticized the government for treating the fight against corruption as a low priority and imposing lenient punishments on those involved in corrupt activities.
Tumuhimbise Rubarondesa, the municipal councilor representing Kinyasano Ward in Rukungiri Municipality, told our reporter there is no cause for celebrating Anti-Corruption Day. He stated that Uganda is currently shackled by corruption, which has significantly hampered service delivery. Rubarondesa accused the government of failing to take a firm stance against corruption, arguing that offenders are not adequately punished.
Similarly, Gideon Turyamubugana, the councilor for Kanyinya Ward in Rukungiri Municipality, expressed that Uganda still has a long way to go in addressing corruption. He described corruption as a vice that has deeply infiltrated the country, especially at the highest levels of government.
Turyamubugana pointed out that some senior government officials and departmental heads are exploiting public resources for personal gain at the expense of ordinary citizens. He called on Ugandans to use Anti-Corruption Day as an opportunity to expose leaders implicated in corruption scandals, such as the mismanagement of aid for vulnerable communities and the embezzlement of public funds, including the Karamoja iron sheets scandal.
Michael Musiime, the LC3 chairperson for Nyarushanje Sub-County, noted that poor service delivery in Uganda is a direct consequence of rampant corruption. He highlighted that many government health facilities lack essential medicines, schools face shortages of teachers, books, and infrastructure, and roads in his area are in a deplorable state. Musiime lamented that while these critical sectors struggle, some government officials misappropriate vast sums of money that could address these issues.
