President Yoweri Museveni launched a lifestyle audit campaign as a tool in the war to eliminate corruption in Uganda.

The President was on Thursday speaking at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds as Uganda joined the rest of the world to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day held on the theme “Promoting Active Citizen Participation in the Social Accountability”.

He however cautioned the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Hon Beti Kamya Turwomwe to be careful while executing the campaign as thieves might be prompted to invest the loot outside Uganda. He called upon the IGG to focus on performance and results-oriented audits of the money meant for government projects.

“This method of working with the victims has worked for the NRA. The NRA became very popular with the people because of this method,” he said.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged anti-corruption agencies to inculcate a good work culture among Ugandans using the sectors of wealth creation to eliminate corruption.

'The sectors of wealth are there and well known; agriculture, services, manufacturing etc., so that people get the culture of starting small and belonging,' he said.

Referring to the Inspectorate of Government report of 2019/2021, the IGG Hon. Beti Kamya Turwomwe, said her office has 5000 active cases of corruption reported by whistleblowers valued at about sh500bn including investigations on locust money (sh24bn), COVID-19 money (sh59bn), Innovation Fund for the former Ministry of Science and Technology (sh78bn), renovation of Entebbe Airport (sh17bn), SAGE money involving ghost elderly people (sh49.6bn), Ministry of Agriculture (sh9bn) among others.

She said the cases are at different levels of completion between investigation, prosecution and appeals in courts of law.

Kamya said the Lifestyle Audit Campaign will help catch what she termed as the ‘big fish’ who are said to be slippery, posing a challenge to those prosecuting them in courts that require evidence beyond reasonable doubt.

“We may fail to prove in court that you took money through corrupt means but through the Lifestyle Audit Method, the onus is on the suspect to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to the judge that the wealth s/he acquired while in public of Uganda office which is not commensurate with his/her known income is legit,” Hon. Kamya said.

The Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity, Hon. Akello Rose Lilly thanked the First Lady Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, who is the National Champion of the Ambassadors for Integrity Campign for commissioning the integrity focal persons and a national steering committee led by Bishop Joshua Lwere.

The ceremony was attended by the Vice President H.E Jessica Alupo, a few cabinet ministers, diplomatic corps and other invited guests.

Others were representatives of Anti-Corruption Agencies that include Inspectorate of Government, Office of the Auditor General, Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority, State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Financial Intelligence Authority, Uganda Revenue Authority, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Leadership Code Tribunal and security agencies.