As part of my Masters in Development Practice i am doing a course called Community Planning, Engagement and Governance. This course is meant to each Community Development practioners to take collective action to create positive change. In looking to create positive change we need to engage with the systems in place and work with them to achieve the desired change. In looking to create positive change i drew from my previous work experience in my home country of Uganda. I worked at the Inspectorate of Government for seven years and the mandate of the Inspectorate is to fight corruption and administrative injustice in public office. One of my main duties was to investigate cases of corruption and abyse of office by public officers. In investigating these cases most of the complaints came from the public and the information they provided led to a vast amount of success in fighting corruption. It is on the basis of the people's desire to end corruption that i began to realise the importance of the community in ensuring that we develop a zero tolerance for corruption.
My project desires to build knowledge of the contribution of the community in fighting corruption. The existing system includes government departments like the Inspectorate of Government, Auditor General's Office, Attorney General's Office, Inspectorate departments in Government Ministries, the Police, the Judiciary, Directorate of Public Prosecutions. Civil society organisations like the Anti Corruption Coalition, Human Rights Commissions and others are also involved in fighting corruption. These institutions and departments are involved in protecting the peoples resources aganist corrupt officials. However the community that is being protected from this vice is not involved in the fight aganist corruption, and the purpose of this project is to build knowledge and develop strategies to increase the people's participation in fighting corruption.
This is a forum for friends of Uganda to contribute ideas on how we can increase people's participation in fighting corruption and i invite to contribute and be a part of this cause.
