KAMPALA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Uganda on Tuesday joined the rest of the continent in marking the African Anti-Corruption Day, with the government calling on all Ugandans to fight corruption, a vice that causes huge losses to the state treasury.
Uganda loses at least 2.7 billion U.S. dollars per year to corruption, which translates to 23 percent of the government's annual budget, according to a statement from Inspector General of Government Beti Kamya, head of the government's anti-corruption watchdog, issued here Tuesday.
However, steps have been taken to apprehend those involved in corruption, said the chief inspector. "A total of 375 corruption cases were investigated and completed in local governments from July to December 2022. The IG (the Inspectorate of Government) investigated and completed six high-profile cases and 108 corruption cases in ministries, departments, and agencies in the same period."
As a result, the anti-graft body managed to recover 600,000 U.S. dollars from those convicted of corruption as of December 2022, although the target amount was 9 million U.S. dollars, she added.
To fight the vice, Kamya said, all Ugandans should be mobilized to fight corruption by raising public awareness about the cost and pain of corruption to encourage citizens to despise, detest and reject it.
The official said the African Union estimates that the continent loses 140 billion U.S. dollars to corruption annually. ■