The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Beti Kamya Turwomwe, has encouraged Ugandans to live within their means and avoid corruption, saying that corruption is the biggest regret that the country has today.
Kamya said that the fight is not for the government but rather for everyone, with the people who pay taxes but do not benefit from them being the largest victims.
She made these remarks during the 62nd Independence Day celebrations at Busiko Teachers Demonstration Primary School grounds, Busia district.
Kamya underlined the need for increased awareness and willpower on the part of all people to combat corruption, urging participation from all social, political, and religious groups.
However, she stated that politics, the burden of proof, and acceptance play a role in the fight against corruption.
“Politics plays a role; you go and arrest somebody, and the whole community and tribe run to the President; leave our people please; we shall not give you votes, and that becomes an issue. Then you go to court, and the burden of proof is so high that you must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person was involved in the act,” she stated.
The IGG also critiqued people who think that Uganda has not gained anything through independence, stating that independence is a journey of organic growth and renewal.
“I want to encourage people who think that we have not gained anything through independence that there is always a period of growth. Independence grows organically,” Kamya stated.
She urged people to understand that Uganda has gone through the turmoil of colonialism and neocolonialism and the country is beginning to rule itself.
“Having gone through the turmoil of colonialism and now colonialism and beginning to rule ourselves, we should understand. One grows at one’s pace because one has issues and history. So for me, 62 years in the life of our nation, given the experiences that we have gone through as Uganda, I think that we are set now to grow properly,” she said.
This year’s independence was held under the theme “A re-commitment to secure and fortify our destiny.”
