GULU– The deputy Inspectorate of Government George Bamugemereire has asked leaders at the local government level to resolve corruption scandals locally because the IGG has a lot of bigger issues to investigate.
Bamugemereire was speaking during a re-launch of Online declaration system (ig ods) to local leaders in Gulu district at the District Council Hall yesterday.
Bamugemereire argued that they received too many local complaints from within local government that leaders can solve without the help of the IGG.
“We have people who are not happy with recruitment, promotions, salaries, pensions and many others but we advise the ministry departments to ensure they address complaints locally. If the districts do not address problems within, the citizens runs to the IGG and some of the problems are very small in nature.” he said.
“We don’t want to be bogged down by small problems which can be solved locally. We are asking local authorities to address complaints locally to give time for IGG to focus on bigger issues that the country is facing,” Bamugemereire emphasised
He noted that IGG has investigated 1,449 corruption cases from local government from a target of 500, prosecuted 47 out of the target of 60, convicted 31 cases out of 47 and 12 judicial cases among others.
He noted that leaders that declared their assets and liabilities this far are 22,662 Ugandans ( 90.6 percent) out of the targeted 25,000 people complied and declared their assets and liabilities during the first launch of the system.
He noted that Inspectorate of Government had challenges with registering people since many local leaders didn’t know how to fill the portal, something that he said led to collection of wrong information.
Minister of State, Office of the President (Ethics and Integrity), Rev Father Simon Lokodo who officiated the re-launch appealed to local leaders to embrace online declaration of assets which he says is faster, cheaper and more efficient.
He advised leaders who can afford smart phones to use those to register their wealth or get access to the computers distributed by the Uganda Communication Commission to secondary schools in their communities to do that.
Lokodo also encouraged district leaders to sensitise public servants to register since it is a practice mandated by the law.
