"There is a prominent level of corruption in Uganda. It makes me wonder who on earth can help us eradicate this vice from our public services."
Richard Musaazi, Journalist
uganda
Despite its wealth of natural resources including gold, tin and phosphate, 15.8 million Ugandans live in extreme poverty.
A 2015 parliamentary report estimated that Uganda had lost around $6.5 billion dollars to corruption since 2005. A report by Global Integrity report estimated that more than half of the government's annual budget is lost to corruption each year.
President Yoweri Museveni continues to speak out against corruption and since he came to office in 1986 there have been a number of organisations and individuals appointed to tackle the problem, including the anti-corruption unit at State House.
While some convictions have been secured over the years,
these appear to have been limited with concern that under President Museveni countless companies, middlemen and politicians are protected.
In 2018, the then-Inspector General of Government Irene Mulyagonja said most corrupt government officials were "hiding behind" the back of President Museveni and using their connections with the Head of State to evade justice, perhaps explaining why Uganda is ranked a dismal 149 out of 180 on Transparency International’s Corruption Index.
