OPINION! Jailing Corrupt Local Government Leaders Not Enough to Curb Corruption; Makerere University Study Centres is a Solution

By Steven Masiga

Research findings from Makerere University Mbale branch reveal that throwing corrupt leaders in jail may not be the solution to ending the misuse of government funds for projects like Emyooga and PDM. Instead, equipping program implementers with legal skills in anti-corruption, criminology, and penology is key to combating corruption.

The problem lies in the lack of awareness among local government officials about the stringent penalties for breaches outlined in the penal code and Anti-Corruption Act 2009. Many officials only learn about these laws after being apprehended by law enforcement.

Makerere University has established centers across the country, including Mbale, Lira, and Jinja, to provide training in administrative law and criminology.

Mbale centre is located in Mbale city opposite centenary bank and serves Bugisu, Bukedi ,Karamoja ,Teso and Sebei regions.

These centers were set up to support decentralization and have shown positive results, with many trained officials being promoted and serving effectively.

I still consider prison as too rough for these officers much as this is the punishment recommended by our laws.

The bible talks about the Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree (Luke 13) where Jesus was hungry and went to check out a leafy fig tree, only to find it was devoid of fruit and cursed it.

Metaphorically Local Governments are supposed to be vessels for taking public services and goods to the community and if they carry no services, the locals down there will react the way Jesus reacted when he found a fig tree with no figs and as a consequence less ballot papers in the ballot box; that is how our voters pay back. They act silently.

The exposure to strong legislations on how to combat white collar crimes in public offices through administrative law training may be helpful in empowering employees of all shades to strike out the difference between what is public money and private money.

Public funds come through approved budgets and are surrounded by thousands of policies on how they are to spend such monies.

Any expenditure must be in line with the necessary protocols on the same.

However, many employees unknowingly involve in wrong disburses of such funds and both junior and senior officials of various entities are culprits as per the state criminal records available in Uganda.

The best remedy is to erase such factors that militate against proper expenditure of Government funds.

In essence the funds are supposed to be taken deep down in Bukalasi, Bududa, Kabale or Muyebe who are the actual beneficiaries but end up hanging somewhere on people’s accounts in the cities and major towns.

Of course I am cognizant of the fact that more money goes to the beneficiaries than what is embezzled, but throwing culprits in police cells or prison will not help the criminal mind of the worker; such appetite can be cured through coordinated training.

Many people divert public resources under the cover of superior authority. This has no defense whatsoever in law. Nobody can instruct you to divert public resources and actually the AntI-corruption Act 2009 in sec 2 upto 6 is more clear, if I am allowed to quote it verbatim those sections state that ‘ any divert of public resources to activities that were not hitherto budgeted for is corruption’.

The strong punitive punishments outlined in the Anti-corruption Act, penal code Act and the criminal procedure code Act may act as a deterrent against evil behavior towards resources meant for the poor Ugandans across the country.

On average, every District across Uganda has a minimum of at least 10 officials at whatever rank implicated in misuse of public funds leading to either summons , indictment and not limited to termination of services and at its extreme-

Rather than relying solely on punishment, let’s utilize these training centers to educate leaders in local governments and help them become assets in the workplace.

By highlighting the dangers of white-collar crimes and providing training, we can prevent the misuse of public funds and ensure they reach the intended beneficiaries.

Masiga is a researcher based in Mbale and a PhD scholar.

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