Vice President Jessica Alupo has reaffirmed the government's commitment to combating corruption, particularly within local governments, saying the vice continues to undermine service delivery and slow Uganda's socio-economic transformation.
Speaking during a meeting of political and technical leaders from districts, cities and municipalities across the country organised by the Ministry of Local Govenrment at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Wednesday, Alupo said although Uganda has registered significant development gains, corruption continues to deny citizens the full benefits of government investments.
"Uganda has made great progress in expanding infrastructure, improving access to education and healthcare, increasing electricity generation, extending water coverage, modernising markets and implementing programmes aimed at wealth creation and poverty reduction. These gains deserve recognition. However, we must also confront the hard truth that the impact of these investments is often weakened by corruption, abuse of office, conflicts of interest, weak supervision and poor accountability," Alupo said.
She added: "Corruption is not merely the loss of money; it is the denial of opportunity, the delay of development and the destruction of public confidence."
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Her remarks come months after President Yoweri Museveni declared that his government would take a tougher stance against corruption during the current term of office.
Alupo described local governments as the first point of contact between citizens and the state, saying the quality of public services delivered at that level determines whether Ugandans trust government institutions.
"For the ordinary Ugandan, government is first experienced through local government. When a health centre lacks medicines, when a borehole breaks down, when a school roof collapses, when a road becomes impassable, or when a citizen is asked to pay a bribe for a public service, it is the local government that the citizen sees. That is why local government is the face of the state and the place where public trust is either strengthened or broken," she said.
The Vice President reiterated President Museveni's call for accountability, reminding public officials that leadership is a responsibility that demands integrity and transparency.
"The President has consistently made it clear that public office is a position of trust and that every leader entrusted with public resources must account for every shilling and every decision made on behalf of the people. This is not a routine administrative message; it is a national call to action," she said.
She noted that the government's anti-corruption agenda is rooted in the values of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the Constitution and Uganda's national development priorities.
"Our commitment to integrity is not new. It is rooted in the values that guided the liberation struggle and in the NRM's long-standing emphasis on accountability, discipline and the elimination of the misuse of public power. It is also reinforced by our Constitution, our national development priorities and the firm resolve to build a Uganda that serves its citizens with fairness and dignity," she said.
Alupo urged political and technical leaders to faithfully execute the responsibilities entrusted to them by law and the public.
"You must perform your duties diligently and competently, without excuses. When you discharge your responsibilities well, institutions remain strong and public confidence is sustained. But when you fail to act, neglect your duties or tolerate wrongdoing, others will inevitably intervene to restore order," she said.
She called on local government leaders to uphold integrity and deliver results that inspire public confidence rather than invite scrutiny.
Addressing the same meeting, Minister for Public Service Gen. Katumba Wamala said effective service delivery at the local government level is essential for Uganda to achieve its ambition of growing the economy to US$500 billion.
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"That ambition cannot be realised if service delivery is poorly coordinated or fails. If we cannot deliver the roads that enable Parish Development Model (PDM) products to reach markets, if health services fail and people continue dying from preventable diseases such as malaria because health workers are absent or medicines are stolen, then the dream of a US$500 billion economy will remain out of reach. Service delivery is therefore fundamental to achieving all our national aspirations," Katumba said.
He stressed that the government's anti-corruption campaign is a continuous national obligation rather than a temporary initiative.
"Fighting corruption is not the responsibility of Minister Balaam or Madam Justine Nameere alone. It is the responsibility of all of us, regardless of our positions or responsibilities, including every citizen of this country," he said.
