UNHCR Worries OPM Refugee ‘Corruption’ Could Erode Donor Trust

The UN Refugee Agency has condemned the corruption allegations reported in government of Uganda’s management of refugees. United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) says that the allegations are a disservice to Uganda’s reputable model on refugees and could erode both public and donor trust.

The statement comes days after government through the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) which deals with issues of refugees in Uganda commissioned a probe on its officials over alleged corruption and grave misconduct.

The allegations include faking documents on delivery of food assistance and demanding refugees to pay bribes to access various services that should be free of cost.

Valentin Tapsoba, the Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Africa in a recent statement condemned the reported acts of corruption which he said do not only harm the victims but also erode trust by humanitarians.

“UNHCR takes all allegations of corruption, fraud and misconduct very seriously. Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those involved in refugee response causes great harm to the people we care for and erodes public confidence and donor trust,” Valentin Tapsoba said.

“It is also a disservice to the model policies of Uganda, a country hosting more than a million refugees,” he added.

Meanwhile, UNHCR has pledged to support the ongoing efforts by government to get to the bottom of the misconduct.

The Refugee Agency also said it would assist in urgently making available its globally tried and tested tools and systems to re-enrol and verify the refugee population, following claims that OPM was inflating refugee numbers.

“UNHCR’s priority is to protect refugees and to ensure that the resources provided by governments and donors are responsibly managed, with full accountability,” added UNHCR’s Tapsoba.

“We wish to underline that corrupt acts of individuals should not be attributed to the integrity of all – who are providing a valuable service to humanity”.

Furthermore, UNCHR has committed to review and strengthen procedures and monitoring across all refugee operations to curtail opportunities for corruption and exploitation of refugees living in Uganda as well as reinforce measures to ensure that vulnerable refugees, particularly women and girls, are well protected.

“This will strengthen the integrity of the data underpinning the refugee operation,” the statement read.

Uganda currently hosts over 1.4 million refugees from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Somali and other countries.