The insidious hold of corruption on governance can only be broken with a united and unyielding political front.

Anti-corruption agencies, while necessary, are insufficient without leaders willing to confront this cancer head on. If there was political will, corruption would not only decrease: it would disappear. History offers clear examples: where leadership is firm, nations transform.

Take China, for example. In China, mismanagement of public funds is met with the harshest penalties, including execution. This strict stance has become an integral part of China’s meteoric rise as a global economic power.

Similarly, during the tenure of the late John Pombe Magufuli in Tanzania, officials were sternly reminded of their responsibility to the public. Magufuli, known for his unyielding stance against corruption, once told officials they should rather swallow poison than waste public resources.

His administration has shown that with real political will, anti-corruption reforms are not only possible, but inevitable. In Uganda, corruption continues to flourish due to a blatant lack of political will. This is not a matter of negligence, it is deliberate.

Uganda suffers from a systemic scourge in which corruption is not only tolerated but sustained. It is not because we lack laws or institutions to fight corruption; it is because there is no political will to effectively deploy these tools. Corruption oils the wheels of patronage networks, ensuring that those in power can maintain control for as long as possible, even if it means sacrificing the well-being of the nation.

Why would political leaders, whose very duty it is to serve and protect the public interest, allow such a scourge to continue? The answer is simple: corruption allows them to survive for another term. It enriches a few, strengthens their networks and silences dissent.

But while it could extend their terms, it leaves the nation grappling with the weight of collapsing health care, crumbling infrastructure and inadequate social services. Every unpaved road, every under-equipped hospital or every child deprived of an education is a reminder of a government that chose self-interest over that of its people.

The goal of leadership is not to cling to power; it’s about making a lasting positive impact. Great leaders are remembered for their vision, courage and integrity, not for the length of their tenure. In the end, we will remember their legacy and not their years in power.

Wilfred Arinda Nshekantebirwe,
Rubanda district.

We must stop fake doctors

With all the ills plaguing the Ugandan health sector, Ugandans cannot afford to add quack doctors to the long list. It is quite discouraging to learn that quack doctors are flooding the market. A recent media report revealed the existence of a quack doctor who had been posing as a professional for almost 10 years.

The man deceived the unsuspecting public, often performing major surgeries. He was also director of a health center in Kasangati. To begin with, one could arguably say that the responsibility lies with the Ministry of Health as regulator of the sector. In fact, at one point, the ministry was the employer of this charlatan who fraudulently circumvented the system to obtain various positions using false documents.

To put this into perspective, it is not surprising that the number of surgical deaths is high. A report titled Surgical Outcomes in Eastern Uganda, published in 2018, found that 84 percent of laparotomies and cesarean sections were performed by doctors without specialist training in surgery and more than 97 percent of anesthesia was performed by non-medical anesthetists.

In most cases, we tend to classify medical incompetence as pure negligence. Imagine if the high cost of health care in this country were made worse by quacks who misdiagnose and administer bad prescriptions to patients.

We must ask the Ministry of Health to take charge and get rid of this problem which is gradually destroying us.

Badru Walusansa,
[email protected]

The need to invest in renewable energy

The government is calling on Ugandans to embrace the use of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower to reduce emissions and conserve the environment. It’s a very good idea.

The challenge, however, is that the population cannot access these renewable energy resources due to the problems facing the energy sector. It’s about high tariffs, expensive solar products, and the government’s failure to extend power lines to most people, especially those in rural areas.

The government must address these challenges if more people are to have access to cleaner forms of energy.

Paul Kato,
[email protected]

Ugandans are friendly but liars

A few months ago, a friend from Ghana came to Uganda to explore research opportunities in youth mental health. I had informed him of the urgent need for mental health services in northern Uganda, after decades of post-conflict trauma left unattended and compounded.

The feasibility of its prospects remains a confidential question which goes beyond the scope of this article. However, one thing he quickly noticed is that most Ugandans are hospitable while being dishonest.

It was this paradoxical life of ordinary Ugandans that intrigued him the most. How can such kind, hospitable, party-loving spirits also lead a deceitful life, driven by corruption and total theft? » he wondered.

Although it was easy to rationalize my friend’s concerns by looking at the personality divide of a national scale option, I alluded to the fact that such personalities are numerous and are motivated by mental health undiagnosed in a large proportion. I decided to offer a critical social analysis of our society, albeit anecdotal.

I said that Ugandans are inherently good people, given their history of subjugation, migration and conflict. The ordinary Ugandan fully understood the British regimented life of being productive and law-abiding as good citizens of the British Empire.

I had a good mix of traditional Christian and African morals. At least, compared to other nationals, some Ugandans still feel remorse for some of their transgressions. How then can we explain this paradoxical life as a whole? I highlighted the sudden transformation of our nation, going from a predominantly “feudal” society that lived off the land to a society now in full quest for money.

I explained that the ruling regime had exploited every possible resource and avenue from Ugandans to enrich itself until it decided to plunge the entire nation into what is called money nexus. The quest for money was now the main concern of every Ugandan.

Inadvertently, we have agreed that money shapes and changes relationships. The quest for money erodes established (traditional) relationships because money has no language or expectations other than its value. Money has an instant effect. Money is a source of power.

Historically, most Ugandans lived outside the cash economy. This social arrangement stems from our colonial past, where a portion of Ugandans provided labor to the colonial administration and production systems.

Thus, this daily rural socio-economic stability disappeared with the so-called transformation introduced by Mr. Museveni’s corrupt military regime. They have now transformed the entire society into a cash economy.

Most Ugandans are selling their land, or some are having their land seized and given to foreign investors. The real economy is in the hands of those in power and their foreign investor friends.

This has left many Ugandans in a deeply awkward economic limbo, in which they cannot push back the market and the state simultaneously. They have become untrustworthy and scoundrels, not by nature but by nurture.

Morris Komakech,
[email protected]

[email protected]