ActionAid Unveils National Citizens Integrity Awards 2023

ActionAid International Uganda and partners have launched the National Citizens Integrity Awards aimed at promoting the fight against corruption by recognizing men and women of integrity.

These partners are comprised of ActionAid International Uganda (AAIU), Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU), Transparency International Uganda (TIU), BDO East Africa, Nation Media Group, Inspectorate of Government (IG), and Directorate of Ethics and Integrity.

Xavier Ejoyi, the Country Director of ActionAid International, told journalists on Wednesday that the annual National Citizens Integrity Awards will promote the fight against corruption in Uganda by recognizing public officials who have demonstrated a high level of integrity.

Currently, Uganda loses at least Shs9.144 trillion to corruption conduits present in both private and public institutions every year, according to the Inspectorate of Government Report on the Cost of Corruption in 2022.

According to Ejoyi, the integrity awards come against this backdrop and seek to promote the fight against corruption by recognizing public officials who have demonstrated a high level of integrity in serving their community.

The awards are also part of the Africa Anti-Corruption Day celebrations.

“They are part of an initiative that started in early 2000, where ActionAid International Uganda and its partners introduced citizen audits to inform the naming and shaming of public officers to put citizens at the centre of the fight against corruption,” Ejoyi told journalists at the NGO’s Kasanga-based offices.  

He said the winners of the awards will be selected through a systematic and transparent process that has kicked off.

It began with the nomination of candidates who have distinguished themselves as men and women of integrity in public office for not less than five years.

They will comprise of three categories; Frontline service providers (service obligation), Management Obligation and Political Obligation.

The vetting committee will rate nominees on a scale of 1-5 based on different criteria like Specific Act of Integrity, Consistency and Sustainability and Influence on Society.

He called upon citizens to actively participate in nominating public officers of integrity by providing details of nominees that meet the above criteria.