Kamya vows to crack down on absentee civil servants

The new Inspector General of Government (IGG), Ms Beti Kamya, has vowed to continue fighting corruption, and warned civil servants against absenteeism.
Ms Kamya told Daily Monitor  shortly after the House vetting committee cleared her on Friday,  that she would work with the team at the Inspectorate  of Government (IG) and other anti-corruption agencies to defeat  corruption.
“I do not need to be a lawyer. Besides, the job of the IGG is not necessarily prosecution. It is also about prevention and prevention starts with sensitisation, with mobilisation, at which I am extremely good. My job is to give strategic direction and leadership,” she said.
Warning
“Corruption is not just about money alone, it is also about not working. You are [paid to work from 8am to 5pm. You come to work at 9am you leave at 3am, that is corruption. You are paid to work for 8 hours, you work for two hours, that is corruption,” Ms Kamya added.
Last month, Ms Kamya told this newspaper that most corruption occurs in the offices of the chief executive officers, permanent secretaries, and heads of ministries, departments and agencies.
She said she would focus on rooting out the haemorrhage of government funds.
“Public funds are managed basically by those three offices that is where I would like to begin,”  Ms Kamya  said.
The IGG position fell vacant by the end of 2019 when Justice Irene Mulyagonja’s two terms of office of eight years expired.
President Museveni’s appointment of the former Opposition stalwart, however, raised questions among the public as to whether she would fit the profile of spearheading the fight against corruption.
Ms Kamya is joining the IG at a time when the country faces major challenges in handling corruption among the elite who are socially and systemically entrenched in the art and craft of their dealings including procurement and recruitment in most public offices.
The IG is an independent institution charged with the responsibility of eliminating corruption, abuse of authority and of public office.
The powers as enshrined in the Constitution and IG Act include to: investigate or cause investigation, arrest or cause arrest, prosecute or cause prosecution.