Will Uganda ever defeat corruption?

Anti-corruption activists have cast doubt President Museveni’s efforts at fighting corruption, calling it the corruption song that never yields results

President Museveni re-echoed his determination to fight corruption during celebrations to mark 59 years of independence at Kololo last week.

But what has changed since his last message?

Women rights activist, and former member of the Pan-African parliament Miria Matembe told NBS TV that Museveni’s comments on corruption are more of rhetoric.

Matembe said: “I don’t know whether he thinks Ugandans are fools, every swearing in he says, ‘this time I am fighting corruption,’ what happened, what’s the difference?”

Frustration, disgruntlement, doubt and helplessness are the sentiments left behind from the continuous rhetoric surrounding the fight against corruption that never yields results.

Matembe, who was also the first minister to head the docket of Ethics and Integrity, said her first move was the formation of the anti corruption coordination unit, where all government efforts to fight corruption and build ethics and integrity in public office were placed.

Matembe added that they had made progress but their efforts could only go far.

“We persecuted high profile officials successfully and convicted a PS and an under secretary but he (Museveni) pardoned them," Matembe said.

Matembe said that this pardoning was the beginning of the downward spiral of the fight against corruption.

The fight against corruption was among the 10 point programme of the NRM.

But what exactly could be hindering efforts against the vice?

Augustus Ruzindana, a former Inspector General of Government said that the element of enforcement was not yet developed by the time he was in office and 10 years later, it’s still lacking.

Ruzindana said that before he left office he had customized what would work for Uganda but he is yet to see it.

"The fight looks impotent, it’s not a hopeless fight but a big one," Ruzindana said.

Matembe said  the biggest challenge for the next Uganda without Museveni, will be “building morals.”

Additional reporting by Jonah Kirabo.