KAMPALA — Ugandan officials convicted of corruption will be permanently barred from serving in public office, according to a new resolution passed during a Cabinet retreat in Kyankwanzi this week.
The announcement was made by Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, who emphasized the need to amend the Anti-Corruption Act and other relevant legislation to enforce this stringent measure.
“The Anti-Corruption Act should be amended as well as other relevant laws to deter persons convicted of corruption tendencies from being appointed or reappointed in public service,” Kiwanuka stated. “This will make corruption a very risky venture.”
The decision comes amid growing concerns over the economic impact of corruption. The Inspector General of Government (IGG) estimates that Uganda loses approximately Shs9.7 trillion annually due to corrupt practices.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni addressed the retreat, urging public service leaders to spearhead socio-economic transformation through wealth creation. “That’s why I wanted all of you to be here so that we can speak the same language and calculate homestead income with ‘ekibaro,’ and the rest will be easy,” he said.
Museveni’s remarks were made during the closure of the seven-day retreat for ministers, permanent secretaries, and members of the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) Central Executive Committee (CEC) at the Presidential Farm in Ngoma. He also encouraged participants to promote effective livestock farming methods to boost the sector’s development.
“I always want to call the MPs from the cattle area; they don’t add on; they are just there where I left them; the situation is the same all this time. If they follow what I tell them, the area would be very far,” Museveni noted.
The new anti-corruption measure and the President’s call for improved agricultural practices highlight the government’s efforts to combat corruption and drive economic growth.
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