Newly-appointed ministers took oath of office yesterday, promising to defend the Constitution, serve diligently, give objective counsel to the President, and keep official government matters strictly confidential. We congratulate the ministers upon their appointment and passing the vetting process. The time for merry-making is over. They should now earnestly embark on the duties that the appointing authority has designated them to do. The members of the new Cabinet should bear in mind that they are civil servants, accountable to the citizens of Uganda. They should conduct themselves as servant leaders, not kings and queens, lording it over the populace.
A key task that the ministers must tackle immediately is the rampant corruption that has bedraggled the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government through the more than 40 years it has been at the helm. Uganda loses an estimated Shs10 trillion annually to corruption. This is money that, if put to the right use, can facilitate the improvement of education and social services. This money can be utilised to build more roads and other infrastructure and maintain the existing ones. Infrastructure such as roads and electricity grid are essential for the proper functioning of the country’s economy. It is, therefore, imperative that the ministers zealously fight corruption to ensure the economy flourishes to enable people to have jobs and alleviate poverty. Ministers must desist from using their offices and the authority given to them to illicitly enrich themselves to the detriment of the nation.
They must not pay lip-service to the fight against corruption but be shining examples to the populace. It is also imperative that the ministers understand that they were not appointed to serve only supporters of the ruling NRM party, but all Ugandans. All people should be served equitably, irrespective of their political, religious and ethnic affiliations. The current unfortunate trend where government officials derisively dismiss genuine complaints over poor social services by supporters of the Opposition should stop. People must not be marginalised and treated as second class citizens just because they support Opposition parties. Uganda operates under the multiparty political dispensation, so it is not a crime to be a member of or support the Opposition.