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IGG to decentralize ombudsman role, integrate anti-corruption across government
Kampala, Uganda | URN & XINHUA | The Inspectorate of Government (IG) unveiled its five-year strategic plan aimed at embedding anti-corruption measures across government operations.
Speaking at the launch in the capital, Kampala, Inspector General of Government Naluzze Aisha Batala said the plan is designed to make a significant contribution to addressing corruption and is aligned with national development frameworks, including Uganda Vision 2040, the Tenfold Growth Strategy, and the Fourth National Development Plan.
The initiative seeks to shift the institution from reactive enforcement to proactive, intelligence-led governance, ensuring citizens see tangible results in service delivery.
It is part of the plans to curb the vice of corruption, which currently costs the country an estimated 9.144 trillion shillings annually.
The plan, covering 2026 to 2030, aims to mainstream anti-corruption initiatives in ministries, departments, agencies, and local governments while decentralizing aspects of the ombudsman functions to allow faster resolution of complaints closer to the source.
“To address the limitations of a centralized structure, we are decentralizing aspects of ombudsman functions,” said Robert Lumanisa Lugolobi, Director of Anti-Corruption at the IG.
“This will enable more localized handling of complaints and faster resolution, improving oversight at district and lower administrative levels.”
Robert Lugolobi, also said the plan seeks to foster active citizen participation in the fight against corruption and maladministration at all levels of governance, and to strengthen mechanisms for prevention and detection of corruption in the public sector.
The IG’s reforms also focus on embedding transparency, accountability, and preventive measures in everyday government programs and service delivery. Officials say that over the next five years, inspections will emphasize prosecution rather than just asset recovery, as past recoveries have not fully deterred repeat offenses.
In the previous five years, the IG recommended the recovery of UGX 69.37 billion, successfully reclaiming UGX 54.88 billion, reinforcing financial accountability and prudent management of public resources.
Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, the Inspector General of Government, said the reforms will strengthen governance and prioritize proactive prevention over reactive enforcement, integrating anti-corruption into public administration rather than treating it as a separate function.
“Upon taking office, I committed to improving efficiency,” she said. “The new strategic direction will make the IGG more effective than ever. We are shifting from compliance-driven investigations to intelligence-led approaches, using AI-enabled verification and data screening to enhance decision making.”
“The plan is not merely a policy document; it is a bold declaration of intent and a firm institutional commitment to act with independence and precision in the fight against corruption and maladministration,” Batala said.
The plan sets a clear direction to strengthen institutional resilience, enforce accountability without fear or favor, restore and sustain public trust in the government systems, and deliver measurable anti-corruption outcomes, Batala added.
Key priorities will include improving corruption perception standing, higher conviction and asset recovery rates, stronger compliance, and enhanced digital, forensic, and investigative capacity toward the realization of a corruption-free Uganda, the official said.
At the launch, Deputy Head of Public Service Jane Mwesiga urged that the strategic plan go beyond a formal document and guide concrete actions, measurable outcomes, and sustained reforms across all government levels. The scale of the problem is stark.
A 2021 study commissioned by the IG with support from GIZ revealed that Uganda loses roughly 44% of government revenue annually due to corruption, including bribery, inflated payrolls (ghost workers), theft of government supplies, tax evasion, environmental resource losses, and absenteeism in public service.
A 2021 National Service Delivery Survey by UBOS further found that bribery (27%) and embezzlement (17%) are the most prevalent forms of corruption, driven largely by greed and the pursuit of quick money.
The survey highlighted a societal challenge: citizens have often neglected to demand accountability from public officials. Despite these challenges, public engagement is growing.
Over the last five years, the IG has reported an increase in citizen-reported cases, sanctioning 10,968 cases and successfully concluding 4,112 corruption investigations across ministries, departments, agencies, and local governments.
The IG’s strategic plan signals a major shift toward proactive governance, combining sector-specific interventions, decentralized oversight, and advanced technological tools to ensure that anti-corruption measures are not only enforced but integrated into daily public administration, ultimately protecting public resources and improving service delivery for all Ugandans.
