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Uganda: President Museveni Hits At Corrupt Leaders
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New Vision (Kampala)
10 May 2008
Posted to the web 12 May 2008
Barbara Among
Kampala
TIME is up for politicians who use their offices to award inflated deals to private contractors. President Yoweri Museveni, who has in the past blamed permanent secretaries for failing to stand up to corrupt politicians, has now also turned his gun on "senior political leaders".
In an unprecedented letter to his Prime Minister, Apolo Nsibambi, Museveni accuses them of failing to control the civil servants under them who misuse public funds. "The money (from tax collection and donors) is misused by civil servants who are poorly supervised by senior political leaders," says the letter which is dated May 4.
"One of the stealing tricks is the so-called hiring of private contractors to construct roads instead of using government departments (Ministry of Works and Transport and the Ministry of Local Government) to do the work using government equipment."
As a result of the use of private contractors, the President says, a kilometre of gravel road or the construction of a classroom, end up costing four times more, while a dam ends up costing 10 times more.
"According to my informal enquiry, this results in spending sh53m on one kilometre of road instead of sh12m. With valley dams, this method uses sh300m for a normal valley like in Rwakitura, instead of sh30m. When it comes to seed secondary schools, this method uses sh70m instead of sh18m or less per classroom."
He also wonders why the construction bill for Government projects is 50% higher than that for private people.
"I have been informed that the price is $80 per square metre of built-up area (for private people). How then does it become $125 per square metre when it comes to Government projects? Why is the price of the Government different?"
Barely concealing his anger, the President blames this "daylight robbery" for failure to effectively deliver services to all parts of the country.
"We regravel one kilometre of murram road instead of regravelling five. We build one classroom instead of four. This is unacceptable."
Museveni directs all government agencies to stop this type of corruption and vows to punish all those responsible for awarding contracts above the market price.
"I will hold any individual or government agency that awards contracts to anybody at a price that is not in harmony with the market price, as a thief for whom punitive action will be reserved."
He also instructs the Minister in charge of the Presidency, in collaboration with the Attorney General, to set up a one-man judicial commission of inquiry into corruption in Mbarara District. "This commission should report within three months time. I propose that Mr. Peter Mulira, a renowned advocate, heads this enquiry."
The letter, titled "Corruption tendencies in Government departments" is copied to the Vice-President, all ministers, Members of Parliament, including the Speaker, Permanent Secretaries and LC5 chairpersons.
Donors at a conference last week complained that the Government does not follow recommendations by Parliament on officials implicated in mismanagement of public funds.
The World Bank in 2005 estimated that Uganda loses about $300m (sh510b) per year through corruption and procurement malpractices.
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It reckons that the Government would save sh30b annually by eliminating losses incurred through corruption in public procurement alone.
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