Public
Declaration of Wealth a means to fighting Graft in Uganda.
By
Adellah Agaba
According to Media reports in the New
Vision dated January 21, 2014, 27%
of the total number of leaders expected to declare their wealth failed to
comply per the latest report by the Inspectorate of Government to Parliament
for the period January–June 2013.
It should be
noted that a leadership Code is a set of rules or ethics
that constitute the minimum standards of conduct for public officials by
establishing clear rules for appropriate behavior. A person occupying public
office occupies a position of trust. Such a person bears a social contract with
the people whose powers they exercise by virtue of their enjoyment of the
tenure of that social contract.
The standards of conduct which are expected of public officials at all
levels are therefore a matter for legitimate and continuing concern by the
Government, public sector organizations and the community. Since public
officers are employed at public expense and for the benefit of the community,
they should act in the public interest in everything they do while executing
their duties. Public interest lies at the heart of the notion of responsible
public service.
Public officials also control, in various ways, the use of financial
and other valuable resources provided by the community, Government or donors.
The use or misuse of those resources raises important questions of professional
ethics for administrators and requires each public official to be transparent
and accountable to the people he/she is employed to serve. Therefore, in any
system of Government and especially in public administration, it is a long
established expectation that those public officials who make decisions or
exercise powers on behalf of the Government, or who provide the Government with
policy advice which may affect the welfare, rights or entitlements of the
community and individuals, are subject to an ethical obligation to ensure that
the resources entrusted to them are not squandered or abused.
It should be put into consideration that through public declaration of
property and assets by the public officials, they are playing their role in the
fight against corruption. In this
case, leaders are subjecting themselves to public scrutiny in the way they
handle official matters and will be required to account for the wealth they
have acquired. Once leaders know that their activities are under public scrutiny they are expected to be honest in the performance of
their official duties lest they become a subject of investigation. This can further minimize
waste of government resources and check on conflict of interest on the part of
public officials and this, can be one of the checks against corruption.
Article
234 of the Constitution gives the IGG mandate to enforce the Leadership Code of
conduct. She has special power under Chapter Thirteen of the Constitution of
Uganda; thereof which includes the power to investigate, arrest and to
prosecute in the furtherance of her functions. It is on this basis that the IGG
gave an ultimatum for the officials concerned to go ahead and declare their
wealth.
Uganda Debt Network appreciates
the contribution made by the IGG and encourages all public officials/civil
servants to abide and give their voters belief in the system and make their contribution
to the fight against corruption. Failure to enforce the Leadership Code has
fuelled bad governance and lack of transparency in the country. Together
against Corruption in 2014!
The
writer works with Uganda Debt Network
