Museveni's message on corruption: What MPs said
A tough-talking Museveni revealed he had established that what he had been hearing as rumour about corrupt public servants and political actors "is true".
A tough-talking Museveni revealed he had established that what he had been hearing as rumour about corrupt public servants and political actors "is true". (File photo)
NewVision Reporter
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“If the President can take a stand on corruption, then it will be good," said Elgon County MP Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi.
"Let him facilitate the agencies fighting corruption and empower them. Let the agencies fighting corruption do their work."
That was Mudimi's reaction to President Yoweri Museveni's message on corruption in his State of the Nation Address delivered on Thursday (June 6) at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala.
A tough-talking Museveni revealed he had established that what he had been hearing as rumour about corrupt public servants and political actors "is true".
He said he now has proof and vowed to "crush these traitors".
"We are going to get them."
In the wake of his address, a number of MPs, including Mudimi, welcomed the President's stance on the vice that hampers service delivery in many sectors.
“The President has confirmed that there is corruption in the Ministry of Finance, in Parliament. There are government departments making the budget result into deals,” said Moroto Municipality MP Francis Lorik Adome.
Also basing on the President's address, Mityana North MP Muhamad Kibedi Nsegumire said all citizens must come out to fight corruption.
“This country belongs to all of us, we should take responsibility in fighting corruption."
Joy Peggy Wako, who represents older persons in Parliament, trusts that Museveni will fight corruption, having admitted that the vice is damaging government programmes.
In his address at Kololo, the President said that another source of corruption has been "the fundraising that is borne mainly by opportunistic politicians overanxious to please part of their electorate by pledging money for the fundraising that they do not have".
"We are due to meet to resolve this diversion."
Museveni said fundraising is "part of the pressure that makes leaders make mistakes".
Still in the context of corrupt officials, he urged that a distinction is made "between mistake makers and dishonest people", saying the latter are worse.
"The dishonest and traitors are the ones we are targetting.
"The mistake makers, we can cancel them and make them know how to do things — because if we are to punish all mistake makers, we would have nobody to work with."