`We shouldn’t use political will as a blanket excuse and fail to fight corruption’

What mechanisms has SUGAR-TAF come up with to help institutions involved in the anti-graft fight perform their roles in a coordinated manner?

We have two mutually re-enforcing mechanisms; one revolves around increasing the risk for those engaged in corruption. This is in terms of raising the likelihood of detection, investigation to the point of prosecution and adjudication in court. We have also added another component of recovery of assets because corruption is an acquisitive crime— people get into corruption because there are gains— and because of that, we are focusing on sanctions and asset recovery. We are also looking at making sanctions work. For a long time, the focus has been on criminal sanctions where people pay fines or they are taken to prison, and after many years in jail, they go back and enjoy the proceeds of crime. So we are now trying to integrate sanctions. We are supporting the institutions involved in detection, investigation, prosecution and the courts. The other aspect of our work is preventive in nature. We have been looking at what causes inefficiencies in the public sector institutions which then allows corruption to happen. We have identified good practices and identified several institutions that have worked over time to reduce corruption and have also delivered services. We have studied what makes them stand out; including the vision they set, the leadership styles and practices; the new ways of working they introduced in their institutions. Unfortunately they are very few.

What are some of the public institutions that have excelled in recent times?

We always take the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) as a case study. Twenty years ago, the East African Bribery Index rated it as one of the most corruption-prone institutions. Twenty years later; it is ranked the least of them all. What have they done over the years and what can we learn from them?

In terms of detection, asset tracing, prosecution, sanctions and asset recovery, how have you been engaging the various institutions to achieve results?

These institutions have not been in this field for a long time. There is a body of knowledge out there which they should utilize. We are training them in the area of knowledge and skill. The second one is collaboration across these institutions. These institutions cannot stand alone. The Financial Intelligence Authority, which is one of the 12 institutions we support is providing financial intelligence from the banks and making it accessible to investigators across law enforcement institutions. We have also supported the high profile investigation unit in the Inspectorate of Government, to adopt new practices.

Could the fact that most of these institutions are young explain why investigations and prosecution of corruption cases often go wrong leaving the corrupt walk free on the streets?

The response to corruption is multi-faceted. You also need to understand its nature. Is it lack of compliance with systems? If this is the case, then we should have other remedies as opposed to going to court. If it is incompetence in terms of the people manning the systems, then there should be remedies in terms of continuous training of the people manning those systems. Low-level corruption, in my opinion, should be administratively handled. The criminal sanctions element should come at the very end; and it should only punish the extremes; it should not be taken as a carry-all for all corrupt crimes. Still, the anti-corruption institutions have followed through a number of good cases and I think that needs to be applauded.

Soon, there will be enormous amounts of oil revenues pouring into Uganda’s economy. How are you preparing the anti-corruption agencies to deal with corruption in the oil and gas sector?

Unfortunately we are a very small programme. Right now we are looking at sectors that have a very close connection to service delivery and we are exploring work in health and education. But we also know that there are different organisations that are working in the oil and gas sector. The recent development of the government agreeing to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is a step in the right direction in terms of promoting transparency and anti-corruption.

Your last word?

I have talked to people in the private sector, in civil society and even in the public sector institutions, and they all say, they are challenged. Corruption is something that must be fought but we are not all coming together to fight it yet it affects all of us. So, remembering our beginnings, focusing on where we are going and then finding multiple ways and all of us owning our responsibilities will take us somewhere.

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