Corruption
Driving through Kampala is like trekking through the impenetrable Amazon, but with moving trees and bushes. Driving through Kampala was one of the first experiences of Uganda I had this past summer. I was terrified of hitting some of the many pedestrians or boda boda drivers whizzing inches all around our moving car. At the onset of our drive, I would let out a yelp of fear every minute or so as our driver seemed unfazed by the small children or bicycles in the road I knew he would hit. I saw taxis routinely filled with 18 to 19 people despite only having seats for half as many. What was most baffling to me was the all encompassing disregard for safety and regulation which characterized transportation in Uganda. Whether riding bicycles or boda bodas, no one ever wore helmets. Given Uganda’s total disregard for road laws, I was in utter disbelief when I saw a boda boda driver have his motorcycle taken away from him in crowded Kampala traffic simply because he was not wearing a helmet.
Events like this happen every day in Uganda, one of the world’s most corrupt countries. In actuality, the police had been bribed by one of the roughly 4 major boda boda companies in Kampala in order to harass the other three companies and reduce competition. To address corruption on a larger scale, it was estimated in 2005 that Uganda loses 107 million U.S. dollars per year due to corruption (Mugazi 2005). To put things in perspective, the World Bank estimates that Uganda’s GDP per capita, an estimate of the average Ugandan income, was roughly 332 current (2000) U.S. dollars adjusted for inflation. Analyzing the numbers, corruption took away the same amount of money that 322,289 Ugandans, earning an average Ugandan income, made that year. If corruption is this apparent, why would it not be noticed by the public and eradicated?
Well, it is noticed by the public. In an article entitled “Ghana: The Less Corrupt Road to Development”, a Ugandan newspaper, The Daily Monitor, outlines how Ghana and Uganda have grown apart since their independence. The two countries were very comparable at their onset having both gained independence within 5 years of each other, Uganda in 1962, and Ghana in 1957. Furthermore, their populations are moderately comparable as Uganda is host to 34 million people today compared to Ghana’s 24.2 million. Finally, both countries come from backgrounds of British dominance and both countries suffered from violent changes of government until roughly the end of the 1970’s. Given all these similarities, the article cites corruption in the government as the reason Ghana has nearly 2.5 times the per capita income of Uganda. In another article on the front page of the “New Vision”, an article entitled “World Bank Blacklists 12 Ugandan Firms” describes how 12 Ugandan firms were blacklisted for the corrupt procurement of contracts. I think it is important to note that I read both of these articles in Uganda, in Ugandan newspapers, on the same day. Given that I was able to find these two articles while perusing two newspapers on one day, I imagine there are many other corruption related articles written throughout the year in Uganda. Clearly then, Ugandans are aware of what is going on in their country.
Why then do the Ugandan people do nothing to change this trend? After talking to all of my research partners and a few local residents of the Nnindye Parish, it became evident that corruption was an established part of life. Indeed, World Bank data backs this up. The World Bank estimated that 51.7 percent of firms in Ugandan in 2006 were expected to make informal payments or bribes to get things done within the government. Clearly, with over half of the firms in Uganda engaging in some form of bribery, corruption is very deeply entrenched within Ugandan society. Moving back to the Ugandans I talked to, everyone at the very least disliked the corruption that was going on, but seemed to be content with it all. One common reason for their contentedness centered on the idea that corruption had existed for so long that they had grown used to it. Another reason for their contentedness was Ugandan society’s historically good well being during Museveni’s reign compared to the extreme poverty and persecution that characterized Ida Amin’s rule and that currently characterizes the countries surrounding Uganda.
The future seems bleak for Ugandan society. The people are content with and expect corruption. The government and the businesses which run Ugandan society all actively engage in corruption. Still, I have one hope for Uganda: Its youth. After visiting a couple schools in and around Nnindye, I realized that the majority, if not all, schools in Uganda are affiliated with some sort of religion. This leads me to believe that morality is currently being instituted to some degree in Ugandan children all throughout their development. My hope then is that as these children grow older and garner more power within society, they do not fall victim to the contentedness that plagues Ugandan society. Rather, I hope they grow to be courageous leaders holding fast against the evils that currently exist in Uganda. This wish was given some support during my time in Uganda. On a number of occasions I asked Sewula Paul, my research partner, different questions about the government. Every time he began his answer with a sharp, deep, “I hate the government” indicating his hatred the government’s current dysfunction.
Moving forward, I wonder what the future is of corruption in Uganda. I think it would be interesting to see more recent numbers on corruption and how things have changed. I know that the World Bank reduced Uganda’s CPIA transparency, accountability, and corruption in the public sector rating, a measure of corruption, in 2009. This reduction indicates higher corruption within the government. Still, I wonder what effect this negative change has had on the Ugandan economy. Specifically, I wonder how much this discourages outside businesses to work in Uganda. Finally, I wonder what effect these societal norms have on children growing up. Is the effect enough to override the teachings of morality that they get in school, at mass, and in their homes?
Events like this happen every day in Uganda, one of the world’s most corrupt countries. In actuality, the police had been bribed by one of the roughly 4 major boda boda companies in Kampala in order to harass the other three companies and reduce competition. To address corruption on a larger scale, it was estimated in 2005 that Uganda loses 107 million U.S. dollars per year due to corruption (Mugazi 2005). To put things in perspective, the World Bank estimates that Uganda’s GDP per capita, an estimate of the average Ugandan income, was roughly 332 current (2000) U.S. dollars adjusted for inflation. Analyzing the numbers, corruption took away the same amount of money that 322,289 Ugandans, earning an average Ugandan income, made that year. If corruption is this apparent, why would it not be noticed by the public and eradicated?
Well, it is noticed by the public. In an article entitled “Ghana: The Less Corrupt Road to Development”, a Ugandan newspaper, The Daily Monitor, outlines how Ghana and Uganda have grown apart since their independence. The two countries were very comparable at their onset having both gained independence within 5 years of each other, Uganda in 1962, and Ghana in 1957. Furthermore, their populations are moderately comparable as Uganda is host to 34 million people today compared to Ghana’s 24.2 million. Finally, both countries come from backgrounds of British dominance and both countries suffered from violent changes of government until roughly the end of the 1970’s. Given all these similarities, the article cites corruption in the government as the reason Ghana has nearly 2.5 times the per capita income of Uganda. In another article on the front page of the “New Vision”, an article entitled “World Bank Blacklists 12 Ugandan Firms” describes how 12 Ugandan firms were blacklisted for the corrupt procurement of contracts. I think it is important to note that I read both of these articles in Uganda, in Ugandan newspapers, on the same day. Given that I was able to find these two articles while perusing two newspapers on one day, I imagine there are many other corruption related articles written throughout the year in Uganda. Clearly then, Ugandans are aware of what is going on in their country.
Why then do the Ugandan people do nothing to change this trend? After talking to all of my research partners and a few local residents of the Nnindye Parish, it became evident that corruption was an established part of life. Indeed, World Bank data backs this up. The World Bank estimated that 51.7 percent of firms in Ugandan in 2006 were expected to make informal payments or bribes to get things done within the government. Clearly, with over half of the firms in Uganda engaging in some form of bribery, corruption is very deeply entrenched within Ugandan society. Moving back to the Ugandans I talked to, everyone at the very least disliked the corruption that was going on, but seemed to be content with it all. One common reason for their contentedness centered on the idea that corruption had existed for so long that they had grown used to it. Another reason for their contentedness was Ugandan society’s historically good well being during Museveni’s reign compared to the extreme poverty and persecution that characterized Ida Amin’s rule and that currently characterizes the countries surrounding Uganda.
The future seems bleak for Ugandan society. The people are content with and expect corruption. The government and the businesses which run Ugandan society all actively engage in corruption. Still, I have one hope for Uganda: Its youth. After visiting a couple schools in and around Nnindye, I realized that the majority, if not all, schools in Uganda are affiliated with some sort of religion. This leads me to believe that morality is currently being instituted to some degree in Ugandan children all throughout their development. My hope then is that as these children grow older and garner more power within society, they do not fall victim to the contentedness that plagues Ugandan society. Rather, I hope they grow to be courageous leaders holding fast against the evils that currently exist in Uganda. This wish was given some support during my time in Uganda. On a number of occasions I asked Sewula Paul, my research partner, different questions about the government. Every time he began his answer with a sharp, deep, “I hate the government” indicating his hatred the government’s current dysfunction.
Moving forward, I wonder what the future is of corruption in Uganda. I think it would be interesting to see more recent numbers on corruption and how things have changed. I know that the World Bank reduced Uganda’s CPIA transparency, accountability, and corruption in the public sector rating, a measure of corruption, in 2009. This reduction indicates higher corruption within the government. Still, I wonder what effect this negative change has had on the Ugandan economy. Specifically, I wonder how much this discourages outside businesses to work in Uganda. Finally, I wonder what effect these societal norms have on children growing up. Is the effect enough to override the teachings of morality that they get in school, at mass, and in their homes?