The Inspector General of Government (IGG) Hon. Beti Kamya Turwomwe has tasked Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) to fight corruption in their respective districts since they have instruments of power.

“I am putting a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of CAOs because they not only manage the money but also the instruments of power in Local Governments,” the IGG said.

The IGG made the clarion call on March 3, 2023 while meeting CAOs at Hotel Africana in Kampala.

She noted that most public facilities in Local Governments collapse because CAOs use less money than what they received and then falsify accountabilities to cover up their fraud.

“As a result, citizens end up getting poor schools and hospitals due to corruption. But when we trail the money, it comes back to the CAOs. Surely, when will this country ever develop with such a mentality of mismanaging resources? CAOs, you are in the thick of this sad story,” she said.

She warned CAOs against being used by technocrats from the Central Government, saying that no one should intimidate and force them to divert funds since they already have the instruments of power.

One of the strategies to fight corruption this year, the IGG said, is the involvement of the citizens because they are the real victims of the vice.

“Corruption has been fought in the boardrooms and conferences for too long. No wonder it’s not going away because it’s an elitist war not a citizen’s war. We plan to train Ugandans to be watchdogs by taking interest in all government financial releases and report any suspicious activities done by public officers,” she revealed.

However, she said that the IG would still use the conventional ways of fighting corruption through investigations, prosecutions and interdictions.

She tasked citizens to be each other’s keeper and watch over them when it comes to misusing public resources.

But CAOs expressed concern over discrimination, citing salary disparities between them and accounting officers in the Central Government.

The Tororo District CAO, Mr. Gabriel Atam, requested the IGG to convey their dissatisfaction to H.E. the President.

“People at the centre are only making policies and stop there but it’s the CAOs who are doing the real job of implementation yet our salaries are meagre. This perhaps explains why some CAOs divert funds meant for public facilities,” he said.

The IGG noted that whereas CAOs raised valid concerns of meagre salaries, they should desist from diverting public funds.

She encouraged CAOs to report corruption cases to the IG so that they can get 5% of the stolen money in case it is recovered as provided for in the Whistleblowers Protection Act.