Inspector General of Government (IGG), Beti Olive Kamya, has thrown down the gauntlet, telling Ugandans to stop accepting “crap” from lazy and arrogant public officers.
While addressing a presser to mark International Ombuds Day, Kamya blasted the entitled attitude of some civil servants who treat the public as if they’re doing them a favor.
“You go to an office, and the officer is there swinging in his chair, sipping tea while you’ve been waiting for days. Then he tells you to come back tomorrow, leaving you stranded after you’ve closed your shop, left your farm, spent money on transport from Kabarole for your certificate of title, and booked a hotel. He’s not counting all that because he’s a big boss and his secretary is saying, the boss will not see you,” she said
Kamya insists that Ugandans are the real bosses, not the officers.
“You, the taxpayer, are the boss. You deserve respectful, efficient service from these government institutions, you are entitled to respectful service from government institutions and Ugandans should know this and not take crap anymore from public officers. “she roared
She pointed out several common cases of maladministration handled by the Inspectorate of Government, including non-payment of salaries, pensions, and gratuities, delays in issuing important documents like land titles, birth certificates, and passports, as well as employment disputes and irregularities in recruitment or promotion.
Kamya called on citizens to report such injustices to the Ombudsman’s office and expect nothing less than efficient and respectful service.
“Public officers will normally not follow the law, and if you don’t follow the law to the letter, you create avenues for corruption to thrive. Corruption usually happens at the tail end of a process that begins by sidestepping laws and regulations.” she added
She further noted that the IGG’s office has been actively addressing cases of maladministration through its Ombudsman function. In the past financial year,2023/2024, 636 Ombudsman cases were handled in various government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), with 135 cases successfully resolved in MDAs and 501 in local governments. These cases include non-payment of pensions, delays in issuing certificates, and other administrative injustices.
Kamya revealed that the Inspectorate held 75 boardroom sessions to resolve service delivery issues and conducted 10 system reviews in selected public offices. A total of UGX 9.66 billion was paid to individual complainants in the form of unpaid employment benefits, including salaries, pensions, and gratuities, thanks to interventions by the Ombudsman.
Kamya tasked the public to report any form of maladministration or corruption to the Inspectorate of Government through various channels, including toll-free lines and email.
“Once the rule of law is compromised, corruption thrives. If we prevent maladministration, we are preventing corruption before it takes root,” said Kamya
