Presidential Press Secretary Faruk clarifies advise to IGG's lifestyle audit against corruption
At the Anti Corruption Fete at Kololo Independence Grounds on President Museveni sounded highly skeptical on the workability of a lifestyle audit as a vehicle proposed by Kamya in the fight against graft by public servants.
Drake Nyamugabwa
Deputy Presidential Press Secretary, Faruk Kirunda has dismissed the series of negative public interpretations of President Yoweri Museveni’s advise to the Inspector General of Government – IGG, Beti Namisango Kamya concerning her lifestyle audit proposed in the fight against theft public funds by government officials.
While speaking at the Anti Corruption Fete at Kololo Independence Grounds on Thursday last week, President Museveni sounded highly skeptical on the workability of a lifestyle audit as a vehicle proposed by Kamya in the fight against graft by public servants.
“We are still lucky that our corrupt people are corrupt here, they steal the money, and put it here, you see a 5 star hotel from corruption. Now if you only concentrate on the lifestyle, then they will take the money out and you will have no evidence here,” Museveni said.
The president said that the money being stolen is mainly government money and the country will have a problem if the corrupt officials start investing abroad.
The remarks by the Head of State have largely been a subject of varying interpretations, with a section of the public claiming it was intended to frustrate the IGG’s efforts in the fight against corruption. Kirunda, however suggests that the President’s well-intentioned message could have been misunderstood.
He explains that the President meant to suggest that a lifestyle Audit would attempt to intervene after the harm has already been occasioned, eventhough still admiting it could work in certain instances.
“His Excellency’s appeal to the IGG, Hon. Kamya to go slow on the lifestyle Audit approach to combating corruption is not a disruption of her efforts. What HE means is that the L.A is a “postmortem” but can work, in certain circumstances,” Krunda explained.
In her presentation earlier, the IGG Kamya had pledged to start touching the “big fish” in government who are involved in corruption.
Kamya said that, “the face of corruption is that lavish lifestyle that is not commensurate with a person’s legitimate source of income, that expensive car, mansion, those family holidays abroad, expensive schools for one’s children.”
She said that there is a public outcry, to arrest some “big fish” and her team is determined to bring them to book through this campaign.
“The public outcry is that we catch the big fish, they say “catch us some big fish.” The truth is the big fish are so slippery, they don’t sign anywhere, this is why we are promoting the lifestyle campaign,” Kamya added.
She said that her office is going to change the tactics, and move the fight against corruption from being a government’s fight, to a public fight where the people and children are involved.
The day was summed up with the launch of the Lifestyle Audit Campaign, where President Museveni was a signatory.
