Big Read: Activists led by Sempala Zahid launch a new anti-corruption campaign dubbed my hands are clean
Big Read: Activists led by Sempala Zahid launch a new anti-corruption campaign dubbed my hands are clean.Whisper Eye Reports
A coalition of several Uganda youth activist forums who have spearheaded the fight against Uganda corruption led by the spokesperson of the Uganda poor youth movement Mr Sempala Zahid together with other groups like Sauti ya Vijana, Red Top Brigade,Youth Power Research Uganda and others have launched a new anti -corruption campaign.
In a media press held at Speke Hotel in Kampala, the youthful groups leaders raised concerns that the rampant corruption scandals in the country will cause the collapse of Uganda’s economy if not urgently checked.
This country will not be destroyed by those who do but by those who watch them without doing anything.
Sempala Zahid
In a campaign named “my hands are clean” the anti-corruption activists vow to expose and fight corruption so as to save tax payers’ monies and bring those involved in the said vice to book.
According to Sempala , the youth activist forums just like the wanainchi have always been taken back by the rampant and increasing corruption scandals where the perpetrators have seemingly avoided being brought to book by use of their connections to the respective government offices which are meant to investigate and charge them or by virtue of being powerful and untouchables.
We would like to begin by thanking HE president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for coming up with the campaign of “Expose the corrupt”. However, as the youth activists through our various forums, it is on record that we have been at the fore front of the fight against corruption even when the corrupt officials gathered forces and fought back on several occasions to an extent of even having our members arrested, tortured and threatened on different occasions. He noted
The first incident was when the former IGG had some of our members arrested and charged in 2018 after we pushed for the follow up and implementation of Cosase report by the Katuntu committee, second being the most recent around 13th January, 2020 when members of the Uganda poor youth movement, Red Top Brigade and the Alternative joined forces and organized a peaceful demonstration under the theme of fighting corruption, but members were arrested and charged and the matter is still in court to dates. We as Youth Activists further wish to thank and recognize the institution of State House Anti-Corruption Unit for always heeding to their calls and following up on all cases of corruption as reported. Mr Semapla emphasized.
Mr Semapla challenged President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to not only come up with think tanks and campaigns in the fight against the biting vice of corruption but also to act before corruption brings our economy to its knees and also scares away investors who are currently the major pillar sustaining Uganda’s economy.
Youth Activists through their respective forums have on several occasions written to various offices in its bid to fight corruption but even these offices have instead shouldered the corrupt officials such as the office of the Inspector General of Government and the office of the Director Public Prosecution which have the mandate to follow up whistle blowers’ complaints and petitions but the same has been in vain.
Mr Semapla Zahid says they have on several occasions wrote about corruption scandals including but not limited to; the URA/AG 6 billion hand shake saga, the illicit acquisition of wealth by Mrs. Justine Bagyenda, the wrongful sale, abuse of office and procedure and corruption by Bank of Uganda officials while selling off several commercial banks, the Bank of Uganda- Mpanga issue of payment of unwarranted legal fees, the failure of IGG to fulfill her mandate by shouldering corrupt officials, the blocking of criminal charges by the Director CID which explains why to date no criminal case has issued against the Bank of Uganda corrupt officials even when the whole country followed the COSASE proceedings and saw all the glaring evidence against the said officials. Surprisingly, Mr Semapala notes that its only small fish like those involved in the siphoning of monies at the different Bank of Uganda branches that were arrested in a bid to divert the nation from the bigger fish who have swindled billions and billions of money but still moving scot free.
Mr Sempala summarised by saying that they also want to put all those who have been involved in corruption scandals and evaded Justice on notice that even when they have manoeuvred and survived being brought to book as a result of being untouchables in Uganda, they intend to invoke the avenues under the Global Magnistky Act and have their financial and travel sanctions imposed on them and their families as it has been the case as seen most recently where 2 Uganda Judges and lawyers as well as other leaders elsewhere in Africa and the rest of the world involved in corruption and other such offences that fall within the mandate of the above Act.
They called upon all those who have information, tips and evidence of corruption against unscrupulous corrupt individuals with dirty hands to come up and forward the same to them to make Uganda a corrupt free zone.
