As a token of commemoration of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono on Wednesday held an anti-corruption debate with facilitators drawn from the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU), the Inspectorate of Government (IG) and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA).
The debate organized by the UCU Launchpad in partnership with the Vision group was held under the theme ‘Promoting Effective Participation of the Youth in the Fight Against Corruption’, and viewed the state of affairs in the national crusade against corruption, and paving ways for intensified youth involvement in the struggle. It was moderated by Alvin Mutebi working with ACCU and Terah Kaaya of Bukedde TV.
Facilitators included the manager of the IGG Research and Education Unit, Peter Mwebesa, PPDA Director for Strategy and Planning Dr. Christopher Mayanja, ACCU Project Manager Christine Byiringiro and Sarah Nakintu, the chairperson of the Inter-Party Women Platform (IWOP).
In his facilitation, IGG Research Unit Manager, Mwebesa observed that youth who form 70 percent of the population, cannot be neglected in the issue of fighting corruption, and that it is the reason the government looks at them as crucial contributors by making their voice heard in this matter.
He stressed the need for making communities more participatory, especially given that the IG is thin on the ground and cannot be everywhere all the time to monitor what is transpiring, hence the positive action for more community involvement especially the youth.
On the recent action, where a number of youths mobilized themselves and stormed the parliament to express their dissatisfaction, Mwebesa , suggested that the aggrieved should be advised on the right steps to take in case of any discontentment, adding, “In any war, there is a commander who issues the final orders; in this case we have the police, the IG, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) and others, so instead of marching to parliament, the discontented should report to these and then wait for the next course of action”.
The PPDA Director for Strategy and Planning Dr. Mayanja noted that the government lays emphasis on promotion of partnership and collaboration on issues of accountability and that it is under that arrangement that the Launchpad debate was being conducted.
Dr. Mayanja disclosed that there is a tripartite collaboration between the office of the IGG, the Auditor General and PPDA under which a young people’s handbook on the anti-corruption fight was published outlining the importance and ways of engaging youths more positively in the fight against corruption.
On the safety of whistleblowers, Dr. Mayanja said, “There is the Whistle Blowers’ Act under which youths and everybody else are protected by the law, so please come out without fear of intimidation and victimization and play your roles in bringing the corrupt to book”.
The ACCU Project Manager Christine Byiringiro told participants that when the IGG succeeds in recovering stolen money, whistleblowers are entitled to 10 percent of the recovered loot which she said could be a very good beginning for the youth as they look for employment on completion of their studies.
Byiringiro admitted that the corrupt are very few but are very powerful, but gave the assurance that they were not an insurmountable barricade to ending the vice. “We have the basic laws in place but the missing link interpretation; this is the gap that portrays the laws as being ineffective”, she noted.
She however added that the corrupt hide behind the President and tend to be seen as untouchable which she noted, is a big challenge. She also noted that protests are lawful but that some of the traditional ways of expressing disgust have become very risky, thus calling for an engagement of many players.
Another facilitator, the chairperson of the Inter-Party Women Platform Sarah Nakintu lamented that elite youths have failed to apply their numerical and intellectual strength to interact with politicians with a view to end corruption, which she noted has brought in leadership the semi-literate to think for the literate.
“As a pressure group, we have fought to have nomination fees for parliamentary aspirants reduced from sh2m and the youth should be at the forefront in supporting this; nobody will give you the platform, fight for it yourselves,” she said.
Nakintu, who is a member of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) political party, said that because of having a strong platform, her party has managed to hold dialogue with several key stakeholders, and advised UCU youths to get started under the Launchpad force.
The debate facilitator Alvin Mutebi urged the youths to take a leaf from what the facilitators had told them, advising that the people they need in the struggle will only look for them if they (youths) positioned themselves in clear positions.
The Launchpad Debate President, Tamale Nkoyooyo reminded the youths that corruption is only good to those who benefit from it, and that as non-beneficiaries, they are under obligation to vigorously fight the scourge.
“You can best feel this when you consider the four years you have spent at university and someone out there asks you for money in order to offer you a job,” Nkoyooyo said.
As 2026 draws near, he alerted them to bear in mind that the debt burden borne by everybody in the country is a result of a few corrupt individuals, and urged them to critically look at people asking them for votes right from the highest office of the President, and reject those coming with handouts.
In conclusion he said, “This year we had a botched walk-to-parliament, if you don’t reject the corrupt, get ready for another round of walk-to-parliament in 2027”.
In a related tone, George Muwanika, a 2nd year law student cautioned that if corruption is not immediately contained now, Uganda is destined to walk the path of Zimbabwe which he said once had a 300 per cent inflation resulting from uncontrolled corruption.
Another student Richard Mutebi noted the importance of the youth’s voice in fighting corruption, and thanked the Vision Group for the far sightedness to realize this and partner with the Launchpad Debate Club.
In his contribution, Mukono Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Hassan Kasibante clarified that corruption is not only about money, but that it includes other things like absenteeism; explaining further, he said that if a medical staff take unofficial leave off work, a patient who pays to get treatment at a private clinic because the one in a government unit was illegally away, is subjected to corruption.
Kasibante disclosed that the peak of corruption is centered in District Lands Zonal Offices (MZOs), and warned that all workers absenting themselves or engaging in acts like extortion of money for business like simple land transfers will be subjected to disciplinary action.
In a warning tone, the Deputy RDC said, “These come almost kneeling in search of jobs and when they are recruited, they abandon work places to attend to their private businesses set up on loans they procured because of the offices they occupy”.
