President’s office is corrupt, says Tumwine

Kampala

Gen. Elly Tumwine yesterday launched a new voluntary group to fight corruption and one of his first targets could be the President’s Office, which he says is one of many graft-ridden institutions in the country.

Speaking yesterday at the launch of the Parliamentary Volunteers Anti- Corruption Campaign (Pavaco), of which he is a pioneer founder, Gen. Tumwine said he was going to wage ‘a protracted peoples’ war to wipe out corruption.

“Corruption is even in the Presidents’ office,” Gen. Tumwine said, adding: “Have you not heard [cases of] corruption there? It is also in Parliament.”

Although Gen. Tumwine said the President’s office was corrupt, he emphasised that President Museveni has a will and commitment to fight corruption, arguing that it was one of the evils which the National Resistance Movement went to the bush to fight.
Gen. Tumwine’s new anti-corruption group comes as Uganda is ranked third in Africa in the 2009 corruption barometer by Transparent International.

Gen. Tumwine said he plans to carry out his campaign through countrywide mobilisation of volunteer groups from villages to Parliament, working with the Ministry of Education and institutions of learning, recruiting youth, working with security agencies, coordinating with the media, NGO’s and government.

Gen. Tumwine’s comments attracted mixed reactions from MPs with some members saying corruption was being encouraged and glorified by top government officials. They, however, unanimously agreed to join his association to fight corruption.

But some MPs wondered whether Gen. Tumwine was falling out of the system while others argued that just like the campaign against HIV/Aids, the fight against corruption can only succeed with the will and commitment of President Museveni.

But Gen Tumwine said: “I have no fear about telling my leaders, telling my government where they have gone wrong. Saying this does not mean I support opposition.”
Presidential Press Secretary Tamale Murundi yesterday said corruption in the President’s office and the entire country was being exaggerated by NGOs.