Uganda has joined the rest of the world to celebrate International Anti-Corruption Day which falls on December 9.
Uganda is a signatory to two anti-corruption conventions namely : the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on preventing and Combating Corruption on December 12 2003.
According to the Africa Peer review team in January, Uganda has made considerable strides in reducing corruption ; both petty and grand the vice is still prevalent and affects every institution in the country.
“Corruption hinders efforts to achieve the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorts markets and erodes quality of life,” Dr. Nsaba Buturo, the Minister for Ethics and Integrity said told journalists in Kampala.
Corruption in Uganda is most rife in the processes of procurement, privatization, administration of public expenditure and revenue and in the delivery of public services.
A 2007 report released by Transparency International ranked Uganda as the 117th most corrupt of 178 countries ranked.
Raphael Baku, the Acting Inspector General of Government, suggested that corruption should be treated as an act against humanity.
He called on all countries to criminalize corruption.
Source African Press Agency
