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Investors bribe State House officials to meet me - Museveni
President Museveni
What you need to know:
- Mr Museveni also reiterated that with a per capita of $1,182 Uganda had entered the lower-middle-income status.
President Museveni Thursday decried the level of corruption in Uganda, saying some of his staff at State House have not been spared by the cancer that the Inspector General of Government (IGG) says it costs the country at least Shs1 million every hour.
“I have been hearing that people, even in my office, take bribes to arrange meetings with me, can you imagine? But we recently arrested one who is alleged to have extorted money from an investor. The matter is currently in court,” Mr Museveni who has been in power for nearly four decades said during his State of the Nation Address to Parliament sitting at Kololo ceremonial grounds in Kampala.
According to Mr Museveni, 79, most of the victims at State House are foreign investors who come to the country seeking to make serious ventures in different sectors of the economy.
The president further said he has directed the Ministry of Finance to curb the high interest rates charged by money lenders to boost investment in the country whose economy, critics say is "limping and needs serious fixing.”
According to the president, the Finance Ministry too, has not been spared of corruption.
"I have been hearing that individuals from the Finance Ministry connive with accounting officers of Ministries to come to parliament so that they are given certain funds, provided they take a share. I have proof. We are going to crush them. I will not grant them amnesty. With the crushing of corruption, Uganda is unstoppable. I feel amazed that some of our people can join this corruption knowing very well that we can crash this group,” Mr Museveni said to the applause of mostly MPs from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) during the sitting officially boycotted by legislators from the Opposition parties as earlier announced by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi.
However, many government critics, especially from the civil service and opposition politicians argue that Mr Museveni’s speeches against corruption are simply lips service given that he has had an opportunity for more than 38 years he has been in power to deal with the problem but he has chosen not to gibe that he’s willing to give amnesty to public servants who steal tax payers’ money.
Mr Museveni also reiterated that with a per capita of $1,182 Uganda had entered the lower-middle-income status.
“Uganda has just entered the middle-income status, we are currently on the lower ground. There are, however, still some trade barriers in the East African Community and these are hindering our development. I urge the community to remove these bottlenecks so as to have one common [African] market. And with this, we can be able to convince other countries to work with us as a continent,” he said.
Mr Museveni also lauded Speaker Anita Among’s performance amidst allegations of gross corruption against the House she presides over and several sanctions hanging around her neck over alleged theft and misuse of public funds.
“I want to salute the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and the MPs. In the past, there was a risky and shallow tendency by some actors who tried to use Parliament to undermine the Ugandan revolution. This was a miscalculation that was provocative, but we managed to handle it peacefully. I am told some of the foreigners are saying that Anita Among is not a good Speaker because she does not undermine the Executive. That is a risky miscalculation,” President Museveni said.
Mr Museveni, as a commander-in-chief, is now widely seen as incapable of stamping out corruption which has frustrated service delivery in the East African nation.
Mr Ssenyonyi asked opposition politicians to boycott his address he termed as a ritual.
