Conditions are rife for thievery in balkanized Uganda

DECENTRALIZATION & CORRUPTION

The Ugandan Minister of Health, Dr. Elioda Mwesigye left me nearly jaw dropped with his utterances that some health officials are born thieves (DM, 18/8/2015). You know that a system is falling apart, when government resorts to advancing an ideology of blame to justify failures of its policies. This, precisely, is the problem with the NRM ideology that emerged out of social banditry, as Yoga Adhola described it.

There are gross misrepresentations in the manner that this regime assesses and defines issues for its political agenda. It is this duplicitous nature of this regime's ideology that is leading this country to collapse on its face. Take for instance, the regime deliberately obscures the fact that institutionalization of corruption across public service is inherent in the botched processes of liberalization of the economy and decentralization. The critical understanding of these two processes in Uganda, since 1994, will put in perspective that Uganda is in a steady decline, not progress. Since the collapse of the 10 points programs, the NRM regime has not pursued any developmental or economic policy of its own, but that of Bretton Woods Institutions. As such, the regime can best be perceived as the agent of neo-imperialism, detached from realities of its citizens.

There are numerous studies on the impact of decentralization in Uganda, and those that compares Uganda's performances with other countries such as, Philippines, Ghana and so forth. What emerges out of all these studies shows that Uganda is not progressing with decentralization majorly because of the design and the institutional arrangements governing the implementation of decentralization.

While decentralization is intended to improve service delivery by increasing allocative and productive efficiencies, in Uganda, the reverse have prevailed. To achieve allocative and productive efficiencies, certain conditions needed to be put in place, namely; devolution of functions within an institutional environment complete with political, administrative, financial authority to local government, and effective channels of local accountability as well as central oversight.

As usual, all these maybe on paper, but in the NRM's Uganda, governance, respect for law and implementation are a big problem. This also brings us to the conversation of whether creation of more districts and administrative units has translated into improving service delivery to the people. In fact, a plethora of studies suggests otherwise. Instead, such balkanization of Uganda alienates the people from the very services that should benefit them because decentralization has disempowered the people with the corruption imbued in it processes.

In Uganda, there are no clear mechanisms for citizens to exert their voices. Laws such as POMA and Anti-Terrorism have worked effective to silence citizen participation in enforcing accountability and elevating their issues into local government agenda. There are no exit mechanisms for the vast population in rural communities for poor government services. For instance, the private sector is operated by the same actors who mess up public service. Doctors, healthcare professional and teachers who work in government institutions are the same ones who also operate private businesses.

Public sector management that would promote accountability, such as merit-based personnel policies, are corrupted. The rigid conditional grants from central government, constraints the ability of local governments to cater to specific needs of its residents, thereby leading to mismatch in priorities that creates service gaps.  Decentralization has accentuated horizontal inequalities between those in power and the disempowered masses making service delivery in rural settings more vulnerable to corruption. 

The idea that corruption or low motivation among public servants arises out of low pay is reductionist. Reducing institutionalized inequities that undermines the integrity of public service over rides such reductionist approaches. The NRM ideology of blame, following grand deceptions, is the decay factor in these matters. Museveni's Ministers needs to study widely and interact more often with health workers, teachers, and the wanainchi to appreciate these problems. Stop blaming fire for burning dry grass because conditions for thievery are rife in balkanized Uganda.

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