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We can’t fight corruption without investigators-IGG

GULU – The Inspectorate General of Government (IGG), has attributed failure in the prosecution of the corruption cases in Acholi sub-region to a limited number of the criminal investigators.

The IGG Regional Officer for Acholi sub-region, Geoffrey Matovu revealed this in a meeting at Gulu City Health Boardroom organized by the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity.

The consultative meeting was part of the enforcement of the anti-corruption laws and policy which according to the Ministry is far from achieving success in the country.

Matovu explained that the region has only five criminal investigators to attend to the numerous cases of corruption, something he says accounts for the case backlog in the region.

He noted that each of the districts in the region requires at least four personnel in-charge of the investigations.

The region has a backlog of 300 cases of corruption with at least 140 cases concluded annually according to the criminal record from the Regional Office in Gulu City.

However, the State Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Rosemary Akello has tasked the local governments to strengthen the fight against corruption to improve service delivery.

The Minster explained that the country must refocus on reviving the morals in the society as part of the strategies to fight corruption and abuse of public resources.

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“The morals and the values of the country have gone and we must not only look at corruption in the book and ocean but forget the vices at home,” Minister explained in a statement.

She further explained that corruption has held back the country from achieving its planned development for improving the livelihood of the locals which she says must be dealt with.

Lambert Lameck Akena, the Councillor representing the Workers in Gulu City Council has blamed corruption on the different arms of the government mandated to fight the vice.

He appealed to the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity to sensitize the masses with anti-corruption laws and policies to increase their understanding of the phenomenon and fight it.

Samuel Oduny, the Male Councillor representing the Elderly persons in Gulu City pinned police for receiving bribes to kill investigations on cases that are reported.

Whereas he could not present the evidence to the Minister in the meeting but asked the Minster to take keen interest in the police institution and the National Identification and Registration Authority.

“You could see them taking money before recording statements and that explains why many of the investigations have died in police,” Oduny told the State Minister of Ethics in Gulu City.

According to the 2019/2020 joint survey by the Inspectorate General of Government and Uganda National Bureau of Statistics, police is ranked top among the most corrupt institutions of the government.

Meanwhile, within the forces itself, the personnel in the regular force are the most corrupt in the ranking obtained at 70%, traffic obtained 67%, court came third with 53% respectively.

Public Health facilities came fourth with 47% while others were the District Service Commission and the Agricultural Extension Workers at 45% and 43% respectively.

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