Opposition strongman Dr. Kizza Besigye has just returned to Uganda from months of treatment for what he described as a viral infection abroad.
He returns at a time when the country is boiling with one of the biggest ‘political corruption’ scandals involving iron sheets (Mabaati) meant for the vulnerable in the Karamoja sub region.
However, the People’s Front for Transition (PFT) leader says the ‘mabaati’ scandal is just a drop in the ocean when you compare the depth of corruption swallowing up the government.
While addressing journalists on Tuesday morning, Besigye said the problem of corruption is deep rooted in politics and the iron sheet scandal is a consequence. He says Uganda is grappling with a cancer that has developed overtime in the social-economic , political and other spheres.
The opposition guru says he agrees with those subscribing to the school of thought that the wrong people are being arrested, faulting the President for fueling corrupt tendencies in Uganda.
“These are not the main thieves, I agree with those who say they are arresting the wrong people, If anyone should go to jail it should be the one who caused all this and his caber of thieves. The appointing authority is fidgeting saying those who have not used them can bring them back. Where will the deterrent be? ” he questioned
Besigye likened the Cabinet to Monkeys and bananas : “They have a cabinet of monkeys which grab bananas whenever they see them. How can you have the Vice President, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister and senior ministers in such a scandal? Do we still have anything called a government?”
He stated that the mabaati saga is just an insignificant part of the robbery that is happening behind closed doors saying the thieves were only captured because they were unwise.
“The thieves of the Mabaati were unwise, they took what makes noise. The corruption people are talking about is because iron sheets are visible. One of the ministers who recently went to prison roofed his cattle shed and when people passed under, they could read the words OPM written on them. That’s why they are in trouble,” he said.
He further stated “People spend all their time speaking about the iron sheets but it is a small thing and insignificant part of the robbery going on here. For roads countrywide they pass only 26 billion while the supplementary budget for state house is up to 90 billion.”
Two ministers including Mary Goretti Kitutu for Karamoja and the State Minister for Finance, Amos Lugoloobi have been arraigned before court to answer charges related to the saga.
Recently while responding to Basukulu on his social media handles, the president stated that he has worked within his means to push out corruption and cannot be blamed. He mentioned that there is a string of agencies in place to fight the vice.
As president, I have put in place the leadership code; the office of the IGG; the State House Health Monitoring Committee and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit etc. All this was in addition to the previously existing accountability bodies such as the Auditor-General, CID, ISO, Parliamentary Oversight Committees, etc,” Museveni said.
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Compiled by Minah Nalule
