THE SECOND NATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION CONVENTION,
KAMPALA, UGANDA
CONVENTION COMMUNIQUE
3rd December 2012
I) PREAMBLE
We the over 1000 people of Uganda, having met on 3rd December 2012,
from various walks of life including the youth, women, business
community, persons with disability, media, political leaders, religious
leaders and Non-Governmental organizations, met in Kampala, Uganda to
discuss the most pressing challenges and creative solutions to fighting
theft of public funds.
Since the first Anti-Corruption
Convention that was held on 8th December, 2011, Uganda has lost not less
than 1.3 trillion shillings resulting into a situation of deplorable
health services across the country, ill facilitated educational
infrastructure, spiraling poverty levels, growing unemployment, ethnic
tensions, land grabbing, declining fortunes of agriculture,
environmental degradation.
Aware that the unraveling theft in
the office of the Prime Minister, Public Service, Ministry of Education,
Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice
are a mere reflection of the trend in other government ministries,
departments and agencies. The plunder of public assets can and will have
worse impact if not stopped.
II) Today we re-affirm, resolve and commit to Individual and Collective Actions to secure our future as follows;
1. Harness the role of people power in fighting corruption through sustained collective actions that are fundamental to building positive change epitomized through the Black Monday Movement.
2. Periodically name and shame corrupt individuals as a way of making this obnoxious vice expensive.
3. Promote a strict separation of powers in practice as was intended by the 1995 Constitution of Uganda to engender democracy and forestall executive dictatorship and lack of accountability. The idea we are advancing is that the three branches of the state work separately and independently, but in tandem for a common goal of securing good leadership and governance.
4. Lobby Parliament to fast –track the enactment of the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Bill in order to engender punitive measures and enforcement of current laws. Some of the measures proposed are to place a higher level of responsibility on the culprits to prove their innocence especially in situations where grand theft occurred under their watch.
5. Ensure that critical information is consistently and proactively made public. The open government partnership initiative is a good starting point which should be designed in such a way to enable citizens to access information they require in a timely manner.
6. Promote common values as a nation that will contribute to reverse moral degeneration and this begins with each one of us at the family level, to the communities, institutions of learning, and within our tradition, cultural and religious institutions.
7. Re-examine Uganda’s economic development model to counter the effects of privatization and enhance social protection mechanisms.
8. Examine civil society approaches and attitudes in the fight against corruption and develop new and innovative strategies that are inclusive and geared towards mobilizing a critical of anti-corruption crusaders at all levels as part of the way forward.
9. Urge citizens to shun and avoid all economic establishments owned by the corrupt. We shall identify, publicize and actively isolate all those commercial entities that have been set up by thieves using stolen money.
10. Resolve and work towards electing political leaders committed and willing to be accountable to the people (voters) as their first call of duty. We shall provide leadership and work closely with all institutions responsible to improve electoral laws and processes at different levels so that the 2016 general elections produce better leaders.
11. Ensure that the citizens create linkages with progressive leaders are part of the establishment and holding critical position to dismantle the systemic corruption.
12. Promote the use of artists and the media groups to mobilize and popularize the anti-corruption messages
13. Work with development partners to develop appropriate mechanism of investing aid within the context of corruption regimes
