By Hanning Mbabazi
Kampala: The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Ms.Irene Mulyagonja, speaking at a public dialogue on “Enhancing Collective Action in Uganda’s Anti-Corruption Response” organized by Strengthening Uganda’s Anticorruption Response (SUGAR), a civil society organization in Kampala on June 19 warned the State House Anti-Corruption Unit led by Lt Col Edith Nakalema to prepare for public accusations of bias and incompetence if they don’t investigate all the reported complaints.
Ms.Mulyagonja was responding to a question by a participant on why Nakalema’s unit has achieved more tangible results in a short time in fighting corruption than the IGG.
The Ombudsman cautioned Lt Col Nakalema that while she enjoys praise in the short-term of her mandate of fighting corruption, in the long run, she should brace herself for a different scenario.
She advised her not to “bite” what she cannot “chew.” She said receiving a huge number of complaints is not enough but completing them is.
“I want you to know that whoever joins the fight against corruption finds where the problems are. Before you start pointing the finger, you must first check where you did not act. Normally, corruption is made worse when some choose to shield it,” Mulyagonja said.
She pointed out her previous attempt to inquire into the recruitment system at Bank of Uganda (BoU) where she was told to shut up. She said she was accused of undermining the bank’s integrity. She said what has evolved could destroy the economy and now State House Anti-Corruption Unit is investigating printing of billions of currency.
During the dialogue, Nakalema insisted her unit was investigating circumstances under which the extra cargo entered a plane fully chartered by BoU, not printed money.
