East African Business Week (Kampala)
Edris Kisambira
15 October 2007
Kampala — With political will no longer an issue in Uganda's attempts to uproot corruption given President Yoweri Museveni's Independence Day message, some US$10.4 million is set to be spent to address the capacity constraints in the greasily fight.
Uganda will over the next two years implement the Threshold Country Programme (TCP) to address prevention, investigation and prosecution of corruption in a renewed thrust and scaling-up of the existing anti-corruption efforts.
Today, Uganda cannot access compact funding under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCC) because it falls short on the score of fighting corruption.
Ms. Margot Ellis, the head of USAID in Uganda told the media last week that the funds administered by the MCC aim at reducing poverty through sustainable economic growth.
To become Compact eligible, Uganda must improve the control of corruption indicator. This indicator is a synthesis of seventeen external surveys and assessments.
In his Independence Day message last Tuesday, President Yoweri Museveni asked the business community to report corrupt government officials who ask for bribes, vowing to 'roast' them.
"I call on the businessmen to report anybody who asks for a bribe. It is not necessary to pay a bribe for anything. Just report the thieves. You will see the action that will be taken," the President said.
Countries like Tanzania, Ghana, Namibia and Lesotho have accessed the multi-million grants.
MCC bases compact eligibility on country performance, as measured against 16 independent, transparent policy indicators.
To receive compact funding, countries must score above the median in 9 out of 18 of these indicators and score above median for control of corruption indicator.
Dr. Kevin Curnow, the USAID chief of party said MCC compact assistance reduces poverty through investments targeted at developing infrastructure (water, transport), agriculture, private sector and institutional capacity.
Compact requires host countries to commit to identify development challenges and propose plans to overcome them, integrate civil society participation in developing plans and pursue and achieve significant policy reforms.
MCC awards compact funding to countries with compact programs that include clear objectives, benchmarks to measure progress, transparent procedures to ensure fiscal accountability and effective monitoring and evaluation of results.
Programs must be sustainable by demonstrating progress after end of Compact funding and must be finished in less than five years.
Tanzania has received compact funding under the MCC amounting to $698 million while Ghana has received $574 million.
With such money, Uganda would be able in position to single handedly develop infrastructure projects the size of the Bujagali and Karuma power plants or build kilometres of new roads.
Threshold programs are smaller grants designed to close performance gaps in specific corruption indicators.
Uganda's ministry of finance, anti-corruption agencies and members of the civil society worked closely with the US government to develop the TCP proposal.
While Uganda might meet the TCP program indicators, these external surveys will determine if it improves its control of corruption score.
Ellis said the anti-corruption institutions to be aided are the Inspectorate of Government, Directorate of Public Prosecution, ethics and integrity ministry, Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority, Criminal Investigations Department, Auditor General and selected civil society organisations.
The TCP activities will focus on preventing corruption related to public procurement in Uganda, increase the rate of successful prosecutions and strengthen the role of civil society in the fight against corruption.
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