Money spent on Government Vehicles can change the face of Service Delivery in Uganda

Money spent on Government Vehicles can change the face of Service Delivery in Uganda

By Adellah Agaba

In the year 2012, the rising corruption scandals raised eye­brows in the donor world including Norway, Ireland, Denmark and United Kingdom among others, which led to donor suspension of aid to Uganda. This was a big blow to a country that has a large part of its national budget funded by donors. Mixed reactions from the public could not go unnoticed as everyone was concerned about what was going to happen to the different programmes in health, peace and restoration, education, to mention but a few that run on donor money.

This highly affected ministries whose bud­gets had to be cut to match the avail­able resources. However, there is a government expendi­ture that is hardly given attention yet it takes a big chunk of the bud­get if well analyzed and that is the day-to-day running of government vehicles.

According to the Audi­tor General’s Report of June 2010, government was spending Shs100bn annually to service the fleet of vehicles in all ministries. Everyone will agree that this money is a lot – not to be thought about as extravagant spending- making citizens lose faith in government’s capacity to spend public money responsibly for the benefit of all Ugandans.

Looking at the state of our social services in Uganda, it raises eyebrows as to whether anything is being done for the Wanainchi back at the grassroots. As a Ugandan, I am greatly concerned about the plight of primary school teachers, who have continued to dedi­cate their services to the people of Uganda yet have remained grossly underpaid. Most of these teachers continue to devotedly educate children of the rich while their own remain in poor schools, since they cannot afford to take them to decent schools.

In the health sector, the acute shortage of medi­cal personnel has affected the performance of clini­cal officers and nurses in that they have inevitably been called upon, from time to time, to assume tasks that are beyond their competence and which would have been carried out by doctors; leading to disastrous consequences often times. These and many more such mishaps arise due to the lack of even the most basic resources to cater for these social services that are essen­tial to all citizens.

With all this money being spent on vehicle maintenance in govern­ment institutions, it’s very disheartening to see public officials misuse their mandate and dis­regard laws that govern them in ensuring that gov­ernment property, which is maintained by tax pay­ers’ money, is taken care of efficiently. According to the Public Service Standing Orders, all public officers are bound by this law and ignorance of any provi­sion cannot in itself be accepted as an excuse for infringement of any part in the Standing Or­ders. A public servant is supposed to conduct his duties with dedication, diligence and integrity and is responsible for the property under his control or custody.

We are well aware that the state cannot carry out its activities without adequate transportation, especially in ensuring that services reach the in­tended beneficiaries. Thus, the fact that those vehicles must be serviced regularly is totally agreeable and logical. However, using government property outside work­ing hours – and worse still, to carry unofficial merchandise – makes one wonder if there is value for money, especially when government spends over Shs100bn on ve­hicle maintenance. This money, from a citizen’s point of view would rather be invested in ensuring quality service delivery, rather than on the huge fleet of government vehicles that are mismanaged by the responsible officers, loading the accruing burden on the tax payer.

It’s the duty of the relevant ministries to monitor the movement and use of their respective ve­hicles to avoid future embarrassments that could arise as a result of not obliging to the Public Service Standing Orders which is the “Bible” of all public officials. It’s also the duty of every citizen to monitor the use of government property because, together, we can encourage the officials to be account­able to the people they serve. The demand for accountability and pru­dent service delivery starts with you.

The Writer Works with Uganda Debt Network

Misuse of Government Vehicles is Corruption

Misuse of Government Vehicles is Corruption By Adellah Agaba

In the words of a re-known publisher Jeremy Pope in “Countering Corruption”, Corruption is the enemy of progress. Corrupt leaders cling to power, opposing efforts to open government, curbing personal freedoms and abusing human rights. Corruption, too, undermines prospects for sustainable development. Achieving sustainable development requires the presence of a number of features. First, it demands prudent, rational and far-sighted decision-making. Second, it requires the best use being made of available resources.
Third, it needs a principled leadership which enjoys the understanding and support of the people. Decisions are taken that are irrational, shortsighted and motivated by greed and not by need. Resources are squandered as projects are approved not on the basis of their suitability but on the returns which may yield to the decision makers. And corrupt administration quickly loses the confidence of its people, who are then gripped by cynicism and rendered immune to leadership.

According to the National Strategy to Fight Corruption and Rebuild Ethics and Integrity in Public Office 2004 –07, corruption in Uganda has become endemic and systemic. The 2011 Annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of Transparency International ranked Uganda 143rd out of 182 countries with a score of 2.4. Previous compilations of the index indicate that despite slight improvements in Uganda’s ratings, public opinion perceives corruption  as widespread and on the rise, with scores ranging from 2.2 to 2.4 between 2002 and 2011.

Uganda’s CPI score has remained dismally below 3.0 per cent suggesting that citizens believe corruption is rife and that not much impact is being felt in national efforts to effectively fight corruption in the effort to ensure transparency and accountability. Transparency International Annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in December 2012 still ranked Uganda as one of the most corrupt countries being the 130th out of 174 countries having declined from the 143rd ranking in 2011.

Corruption continues to be a major concern to the people of Uganda and the various stakeholders as it undermines good governance, socio-economic development and service delivery because it results into diversion of public or corporate resources to private use; and above all, it increases the cost of public service delivery and implementation of public projects, and has the potential to lead to political instability.
Public service delivery and use of public assets like government vehicles for private work in Uganda is characterised by inefficiency, gross mismanagement and negligence in the delivery of essential social services to citizens. This is one form of abuse of office when a government vehicle is used for activities outside the assignments it’s meant to accomplish.
Under the Public Service Standing Orders, Government property means resources owned by Government or in the custody or care of Government which include monies, inventories, property, assets, loans and investments. In this case, every Government Officer is personally and pecuniary responsible for Government property under his or her control or custody.
A public officer shall safeguard public property or assets entrusted to him or her and shall ensure that no damage, loss or misappropriation occurs in the process of procurement, storage, utilization and disposal. Hence the management of all Government properties in a given Ministry, Department or Local Government is the direct responsibility of the Responsible Officer, who shall make arrangements for the maintenance of such properties.

In the case of government vehicles; all vehicles shall not be driven outside official working hours without authority of the Responsible Officer; and where a vehicle is required for official use outside official working hours and on weekends, the Responsible Officer may grant authority in writing for a specified period of time and shall ensure that the authority is not misused; Therefore, a driver shall not carry unauthorised passengers and goods in a Government vehicle.

Contrary to this, the officer in charge of the vehicle at the time should be liable for the mismanagement of government property, and misappropriation of public funds considering vehicles in this case are maintained by tax payers’ money and in the end affecting service delivery. It’s the duty of every public officer to respect government property and use it according to the public service standing orders for transparency and accountability. Use of government vehicles to ferry charcoal and items of the same calibre is unacceptable!

The writer works with Uganda Debt Network

1.9Billion for MPs to consult on the Marriage and Divorce Bill can instead change the face of service delivery in Uganda.

1.9Billion for MPs to consult on the Marriage and Divorce Bill can instead change the face of service delivery in Uganda.

By Adellah Agaba

After a five-year lull, the Divorce and Marriage Bill was brought to Parliament, kicking off a storm. The bill has met stiff opposition from not only a section of the legislators, but religious leaders and the public at large with a fear that some clauses will undermine the intent of the institution of marriage itself. All this ignited debate in all foras including the media forcing the parliamentarians to go on an early Easter break to consult their constituencies.

Now to kick off this process, each MP will receive Shs5 million to facilitate them in consulting their constituents on the controversial Marriage and Divorce Bill. The President wrote to the Speaker of Parliament instructing the House Commission and the Clerk to Parliament to effect the payment of the money to the legislators in time for the consultations.

This means that over 1.9 Billion shillings will be dished out to the 386 Honourable Members of Parliament to consult in their constituencies. At this stage one wonders what the honourables are paid a salary to do. In my own understanding, they are paid to legislate for their constituencies which of course consultations is part of the process.

The people they are consulting don’t even have a meal for the day yet 5Million is being spent in a process that has already shown a lot of discontentment in the general public. The question stays as to whether this discussion is necessary at the expense of tax payers’ money!

Let’s see what this 1.9Billion can do in changing the face of service delivery in the country. The state of our roads here in the city centre before you even look far is so alarming to the extent that we have fish ponds in the city centre not forgetting the poor drainage system. The constituencies to be consulted some don’t have drugs in the health centre IIs and IIIs. The conditions especially in the maternity wards are shocking. Our education system is still lacking with pupils still studying under trees in these same constituencies where consultations are going to take place. The teachers and health workers are crying on low salaries and delayed payments which affect their cost of living and of course their morale to boost service delivery. This money can make an overhaul in service delivery!

Are the consultations a priority looking at the state of our services in the country?  Whichever way you look at it, spending 1.9Billion tax payers’ money on consultations does not indicate value for money and we hope that the “Honourables” will be able to account for the money after this whole process is done.

It should be remembered that this is not the first time money is being dished out to influence a stalling process in parliament. The same was done to amend the constitution on issues of term limits, and the most recent one at the beginning of 2011 when MPs were given 20million each for campaigns in order to pass a 600million supplementary budget.

The sad part about all this is that the tax payer will always pay for such expenses and get no services. Like they say don’t blame the player, blame the game.  Good luck to the Members of Parliament as they consult their constituencies on the hot issues in the Marriage and Divorce Bill, hoping there will be Value for Money!

The writer works with Uganda Debt Network

aagaba@udn.or.ug

Scrapping off bail not a solution to eradicate corruption

Scrapping off Bail not a solution to the fight against Corruption

By Adellah Agaba

During the 27^th NRM Liberation anniversary celebrations at Nyakasanga play ground in Kasese, His Excellency renewed his call for scrapping off bail for officials suspected in capital offences stating that it hampers the fight against corruption. He stated that the Judiciary is making his work difficult by giving bail to every suspect.

As much as we agree with you Mr. President on making the corrupt lose appetite of stealing government public funds meant for service delivery, scrapping or denying bail to the suspects will not reduce corruption levels unless it’s complimented by other factors.

The right to Bail is based on the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a competent Court of Law.  S. 77 of the Magistrates Courts Act states that on an application for bail, Court considers some factors to determine whether or not to grant bail. These include nature and gravity of offence, severity of punishment, accused person’s antecedents ( as far as are known) whether s/he has a fixed place of stay; possibility of interfering with prosecution witnesses, advanced age of the accused, whether s/he is  sole bread winner of the family, his/her role in the community. The entitlement to apply for bail is a fundamental right and freedom which is protected by the Constitution, denial of which amounts to robbing the suspects’ fundamental rights. Bail can only be scrapped or reviewed by an Act of Parliament and the judiciary will have no choice but to follow suit.

The Presidents pronouncement came after most of the suspects in the theft of billions of money meant for service delivery were granted bail by the courts of law. Recent corruption scandals opened citizens’ eyes to the growing levels of corruption in Uganda as billions of shillings were stolen and misappropriated by the public officials. The Pensions scandal in the Ministry of Public Service with the loss of 100 billion shillings meant for retired public servants, the rot in Prime Minister’s Office and matters are not helped by the fact that Uganda’s 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking by Transparency International revealed Uganda’s position at 130 out of 176 countries with a score of 29.

However, scrapping and denial of bail alone will not reduce the high levels of corruption that has made service delivery in hospitals, schools, roads hard to achieve. Government efforts towards elimination of corruption must include a policy to improve salaries of government workers. The Police and teaching remain the least paid and most ridiculed profession, living in squalid conditions in an attempt to make ends meet. The judiciary has to be well remunerated in order to dispense off their work with transparency and to avoid bribes at all levels.

Selective prosecution must be condemned because you cannot simply pick one person and leave others. Relying on selective prosecution to eliminate corruption and to act as a warning for other people in influential positions is a myth.  

The fight against corruption is not a preserve of government institutions. Fighting corruption involves a concerted effort from all stakeholders. There is need for a quick passing of the Anti-corruption amendment Bill so that officials implicated in these corruption scandals are effectively brought to book, and all their assets acquired from the stolen money are confiscated and liquidated to replace the misappropriated funds in respective offices. This way, tax payers’ hard earned money is not used to pay off other peoples’ fraudulent losses but instead be used in ensuring proper service delivery in the country.

The writer works with Uganda Debt Network

aagaba@udn.or.ug

Government shd disclose the Source of refunded money to donors.

Government should disclose the source of refunded money to donors

By: Adellah Agaba

The year 2012 was one that opened citizens’ eyes to the growing levels of corruption in Uganda as many corruption scandals in billions of shillings were unearthed. The Pensions scandal in the Ministry of Public Service with the loss of 100 billion shillings meant for retired public servants was discovered and up to now more details on the rot are emerging.

As if that was not enough, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) one of the most respected offices in monitoring implementation of government programmes astounded Ugandans when big chunks of money went missing and could not be accounted for by the accounting officers. This  arose out of the Auditor General’s report released in October last year with a special audit report indicating that up to Shs50 billion was misappropriated by staff in the Prime Minister’s office. The misappropriated funds were intended for post-war recovery in Northern Uganda under the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP). Matters are not helped by the fact that Uganda’s 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking by Transparency International revealed Uganda’s position at 130 out of 176 countries with a score of 29.

Not surprisingly the corruption scandals raised eyebrows in the donor world including Norway, Ireland, Denmark and United Kingdom, among others, which led to donor suspension of aid to Uganda. This was a big blow to a country that has a large part of its national budget funded by donors. Mixed reactions from the public could not go un noticed as everyone was concerned as to what was going to happen to the different programmes in health, peace and restoration, education, mention them that run on donor money.

Alas, there came good news! Depending on how you look at it. The Ugandan government refunded 4Miliion Euros (14bn) donor aid money stolen by some government officials to the Irish government to restore the broken relationship. Unfortunately, reports indicate that Ireland has announced that the suspension of its bilateral aid to Uganda will remain in place until officials are confident that controls have been put in place to prevent misappropriation of aid money from their country.

 

Something the Government of Uganda did to restore confidence in the donors and the public instead raised so many questions that have not been answered up to now. Where did the government get all this kind of money to refund the Irish government? Which budget line did they use? Which sectors have been affected by this refund? But the biggest of them all is that, if the government can afford to refund all this money, do we after all need donor money? It was indicated that the money was got from government’s consolidated account. Isn’t that tax payers’ money meant for improved service delivery? 

As activists we demand that in the interest of transparency and accountability the government should clearly disclose the source of the money refunded to the Irish government when teachers are still earning low salaries, health facilities still in bad shape, roads full of pot holes, and the education sector still lacking school facilities and structures in most districts, which are all summed up as regressive service delivery.

We also call for quick passing of the Anti-corruption amendment Bill so that officials implicated in these corruption scandals are effectively brought to book, and all their assets acquired from the stolen money are confiscated and liquidated to replace the misappropriated funds in respective offices. This way, tax payers’ hard earned money is not used to pay off other peoples’ fraudulent losses but instead be used in ensuring proper service delivery in the country.

The Writer works with Uganda Debt Network

aagaba@udn.or.ug