THE SILENT EPIDEMIC: Why Corruption Remains Unreported
The latest corruption perception index released 2024 has Uganda ranked as the fourth most corrupt country in East African Community EAC where it has maintained a score of 26 for the past two years, after it dropped from 28 in 2019.
The index has also ranked South Sudan the most corrupt in the region, followed by Somalia, Burundi and DRC which is partly attributed to existing instabilities in some of the countries.
Institutionally, Uganda police remains the most corrupt, followed by the Judiciary, tax services and the land service sectors according to the National Integrity Survey.
About Corruption in Uganda.
The IGG cost of Corruption report 2021 estimates an annual loss of UGX9.14tn. This loss is from public resources meant for essential services such as Health, Education and Infrastructure development. In Uganda, corruption remains a persistent challenge, threatening the country’s socio-economic development, eroding public trust in government institutions, and hindering efforts tobuild a transparent and accountable society.
Despite concerted efforts to combat corruption, endemic issues persist, prompting calls for renewed action and systemic reforms to root out this pervasive scourge. Corruption in Uganda manifests in various forms, including bribery, embezzlement, nepotism, abuse of power, and illicit enrichment.
It permeates all levels of society, from government offices to private businesses, and affects sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, and law enforcement. The impact of corruption is far-reaching, exacerbating poverty, inequality, and social injustice, and undermining the rule of law and democratic governance.
According to the National Service delivery Survey 2021, 33.5% of respondent’s believe corruption takes place in the public sector.
The commonest forms of corruption reported according to the survey are Bribery 17%, embezzlement 13 %, Favoritism 11 % and nepotism 10%. 69% of respondents according to this survey believed that corruption had increased while only 22% reported that it had remained the same.
Published by David Kizito and Kulume Tracy