KAMPALA, Uganda — The Office of the Inspectorate of Government has implemented new strategies and digital tools in its efforts to combat corruption, IGG Beti Kamya Turwomwe said Friday.
During a press conference for Africa Anti-Corruption Day, Kamya highlighted the agency’s focus on recoveries and public accountability.
Uganda has long struggled with public sector corruption, costing the nation an estimated $2.7 billion, or 10 trillion shillings, annually, Kamya said. Africa as a whole loses approximately $140 billion each year to graft.
Kamya said saving 10 trillion shillings could provide 1 billion shillings annually to each of Uganda’s 10,000 parishes through the Parish Development Model. That would amount to about 2 million shillings per person annually for every Ugandan.
Kamya described Africa as a paradox, rich in resources including 40% of the world’s gold reserves and 65% of its arable land, but struggling with persistent poverty. She said while countries like Seychelles, with a 72% Corruption Perception Index, and Rwanda, at 57%, have shown progress, Uganda’s CPI stands at 27%.
The IGG’s office has increased recovery efforts, Kamya said. In the past financial year, the agency recovered a record 30 billion shillings lost to corruption, according to an office report. For the first six months of the current fiscal year (FY2024/25), 4.2 billion shillings have already been recovered. Separately, between January and December 2024, the IG recovered nearly 7 billion shillings from the proceeds of corruption.
During the same period, 13.3 billion shillings was recommended paid to individuals due to IG interventions, with an additional 3.3 billion shillings recommended by the Inspectorate of Government Boards.
Digital transformation is a key strategy for the IG. The Inspectorate has adopted a tech-enabled system, launching the Online Declaration System (IG- ODS) for public officers’ wealth declarations. A new electronic complaints system has also led to a 300% increase in public complaints over the last two years, which Kamya said reflects increased citizen engagement.
Between January and December 2024, the IG investigated and concluded 2,218 corruption cases. The office also took administrative action against 1,204 public officers, including interdiction or job loss. Sixteen public officers were recommended for prosecution at the Anti-Corruption Division, and 37 at the Leadership Code Tribunal. The IG achieved a 94.7% conviction rate in these courts, Kamya said. She added the IG inspected more than 1,200 government projects and conducted 53 spot checks in that one-year period.
Institutional efforts must be complemented by changes in public attitude, Kamya said. She said communities often condone or glorify individuals who acquire wealth quickly, rather than questioning its source.
“The mindset should be, ‘Please explain to us how you acquired that wealth,'” Kamya said. “That is what oversight and demanding accountability call for, not blind support.”
Kamya urged Ugandans to help expose suspicious wealth, such as high-rise apartments owned by public officials. Neighbors are often best positioned to report such inconsistencies, she said. Kamya also urged low and middle-rank public officers to expose “syndicated corruption” within government.
Kamya credited the agency’s progress to its multi-disciplinary team, including Deputy IGGs Patricia Achan Okiria and Anne Twinomugisha.
She said that while corruption remains a challenge, the Inspectorate of Government is setting a national example for accountable governance.
