Friday April 29, 2022: The Chairperson of National Physical Planning Board, Dr. Amanda Ngabirano & some of her board members paid a courtesy call to the Head of State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Brig Gen Henry Isoke.
They explored ways of fighting corruption in physical planning to end encroachment on wetlands, forests, public spaces & improper waste disposal.
Friday April 29,2022: The Permanent Secretary to the Office of the Prime Minister, Keith Muhakanizi paid a courtesy visit to the Head of State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Brig Gen Henry Isoke.
They held discussions on matters of mutual interest.
Thursday April 14, 2022: The Executive Director of KCCA, Dorothy Kisaka, paid a courtesy call to the Head of State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Brig Gen Henry Isoke.
SCOPE
OVERVIEW
The word Corruption is defined differently by different authorities. It is traced from the Latin word “Corruptus” which means “to break” or “broken”.
During the 2019 state of the Nation address, H.E the president recognized corruption as the last obstacle to Uganda’s economic development.
The National Development Plan III has identified key drivers of corruption including;
Weak public sector management and administration.
Inadequate operating standards and weak institutional structure.
Inadequate/inappropriate controls.
Poor remunerations.
Ineffective Anti-Corruption agencies.
Weak judiciary.
Weak national value system.
A culture of impunity and moral decadence.
EFFECTS OF CORRUPTION
The effects of corruption are evident for all of us to see and the one most of us encounter on a daily basis is the resultant failure in service delivery caused by corruption.
Strategies to fight Corruption
More recently, the government has adopted additional approaches in fighting corruption, including;
State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU)
In line with its Strategic Plan 2020-2022, SH-ACU focuses on the following five strategic areas to combat corruption.
SH-ACU comprises multidimensional disciplines drawn from the military, police and civilian sectors.
Some of SH-ACU’s achievements as at April 5, 2022
The role of Police in the war against corruption
SH-ACU has a CID police section which does investigations and arrest of suspects.
The Directorate of Forensic Services in collaboration with SH-ACU
Conclusion
We should work together and move away from finger pointing to collective action in the fight against corruption.
Be patriots and remove the last obstacle to our development. You owe it to your country.
See something, say something
By Brig Gen Henry Isoke, psc
Immaculate Kibekyenga, twenty six year old female was trafficked to Saudi Arabia in September 2021 by Intercontinental opportunities, a Labor Recruitment Company from a branch based in Rubirizi District.
Like most of the innocent persons who seek jobs abroad, she signed an employment contract with the company and flew to Saudi Arabia.
However, contrary to her expectations, her passport was confiscated on arrival. She was then subjected to constantly being forced to go to hospital for checkups and yet she wasn’t feeling ill.
Furthermore and without her consent, her employer picked her cell phone and installed an Organ Sharing App, which informs other people using the application that the person (customer) is ready to trade their body organs.
She became suspicious of the App and deleted it. This provoked her employer who assaulted her severely to the extent that she sustained intense abdominal pain.
The employer then took advantage of her condition to take her to the hospital with the intention of harvesting her body organs.
She was locked in a room where a knife wielding man threatened to end her life if she turned down the doctor’s appointment at the hospital the following day.
As luck would have it, a kind person who had tapped the conversation of Immaculate’s employer with the doctors secretly gave her a phone to call for urgent help for she was set to die in the hours that followed.
She immediately contacted her sister in Uganda, a one Nyamwiza Florence who raised the matter with State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU).
Meanwhile at the hospital where she was being injected with drugs in preparation for the removal of her body organs, she sounded an alarm that attracted a police officer.
The medics and Immaculate’s employer tried to convince the police officer that she was insane and being treated, however the officer ordered the cannulas to be removed and took her to the police for safe custody.
SH-ACU intervened by calling the director of the company Ali Mpungwe to help with the investigations.
The Unit managed to get Immaculate’s file from the company and caused her return to Uganda despite initial resistance from her employer who had confiscated her passport.
She was released and came back to Uganda on 14th March 2022.
After a period of five years, a 60 year old Nakabugo Robinah finds justice.
Having sought help from different government offices to no avail, she reported to SH-ACU a month ago and today, she has been paid her balance of Ugx 4.5m from a land transaction that went futile in 2015.
Nakaweesa Florence the daughter to Nakabugo informed us that her mother sold 10 acres of land on Block 127, plot 79 in Bugerere Nazigo, Kayunga district to Ssali Badiru at Ugx 12m. She was given a down payment of Ugx 7.5m and they agreed to handover the land title to him on completion of the balance.
Unfortunately, before Badiru had completed his debt obligation, he sold off 2 acres of the land to Bakayimbudde Waswa and other two ladies who forcefully obtained the land title from Nakabugo, inclusive of her National ID.
By the help of a city lawyer called Kabugo Suleiman, the three forged a land transfer form with Nakabugo’s fabricated signature extracted from her National ID, and transferred the subject land to one of the lady’s name and another third party. This land was further subdivided into plots alleged for future sale.
As a result, Nakabugo has since then not been paid due to lack of credentials to guarantee completion of her transaction with Ssali Badiru.
The old lady sought help from Nazigo police station, but she was given no attention. Instead, the police officers to whom Nakabugo had reported connived with the land grabbers to evict the squatters on it. It is alleged that this land was further mortgaged for a loan in the bank.
On receipt of this complaint, State House Anti-Corruption Unit expedited the coordination to arrest the suspects. These appealed for an amicable resolution that yielded the payment of Nakabugo’s due balance of Ugx 4.5m.
The visit is aimed at fostering a strong working relationship in the fight against corruption.
