President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to crush corrupt public officials.
Speaking at the State of the Nation Address, held at the Kololo Ceremonial grounds, Museveni noted that he has been getting good information about corrupt actors among the public servants but also among the political actors.
“With firm evidence, I will crush these traitors. Public servants and political leaders that steal Government money are corrupt and will be crushed,” the president noted.
The President’s remarks come at a time when the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, is facing sanctions from the US and the UK over corruption, and stealing from poor communities like the Karamoja region.
According to the Inspectorate of Government, Uganda loses over Shs 10 trillion every year through corruption.
Museveni noted that there are some actors, that get bribes from foreigners to work for foreign interests, also terming them corrupt and traitors, “and we are monitoring their activities. If they do not stop; and with evidence, we shall deal with them.”
He explained as part of fighting corruption, it is crucial to saving the amateurish political actors who come into politics without knowing that leading people does not mean carrying them on your head.
“It means that you show them the way. The situation of the inexperienced, careerist-minded leaders who do not listen to the advice of the NRM, is further complicated by the blood-thirsty parasites in the form of the unregulated money lenders who charge extortionate interest rates from these desperate political actors when they come to borrow money for unuseful expenditures.”
The president revealed that he has already directed the Minister of Finance to cap the interest rates chargeable by money lenders.
“The inflation rate in Uganda is 3%. Why should the commercial Banks charge 20% interest? How about the money lenders charging 36% or more? This is pure extortion,” said Museveni adding that the PDM and Emyooga funds are going to become the poor people’s banks, able to lend at 12% or less after 24 months.
“I have already directed the Attorney – General to guide the Minister of Finance as to how he can criminalize this extortion. The other source of corruption has been the fund raising that is born mainly by opportunistic politicians, over-anxious to please parts of their electorate,
by pledging money for those fund-raisings that they do not have. We are due to meet to resolve this diversion,” remarked Museveni.