The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, has emphasized the need for stronger action against sexual corruption in Uganda's health and education sectors. She made the remarks while opening a two-day workshop on Gender and Corruption in Uganda, focusing on the health and education sectors, at Onomo Hotel in Kampala. The workshop, hosted by the Inspectorate of Government with support from the Danish Embassy in Uganda, in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy, the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, has brought together more than 15 stakeholders to examine the gender dimensions of corruption.
According to Batala, sexual corruption and other gender-related abuses are undermining women's and girls' access to health and education services. She noted that women, girls, and other vulnerable groups often bear a disproportionate burden of corrupt practices, including demands for sexual favours in exchange for services, academic grades, and other opportunities. Batala observed that corruption goes beyond the loss of public funds, stalled projects, and inflated contracts to include practices that undermine people's dignity, rights, and access to essential public services.
The IGG identified sexual corruption, where access to services, academic grades, and other opportunities is made conditional on sexual favours, as one of the particularly harmful forms of corruption affecting women and girls. She cited examples of mothers who cannot afford unofficial payments at health facilities, students pressured by people in authority, and victims who stay silent for fear of stigma or retaliation. Batala emphasized that these issues are not abstract and that each instance of sexual corruption is a failure of integrity that undermines the right to health and the right to education.
Batala challenged institutions, including the Inspectorate of Government, to examine whether their existing tools, procedures, and institutional cultures are adequate to detect, receive, and act on complaints involving gender-related corruption. She noted that sexual corruption often remains hidden and under-reported because victims fear losing their jobs, educational opportunities, and reputations. Others are discouraged from reporting by stigma and the possibility of retaliation.
The IGG called for more accessible and responsive reporting mechanisms to encourage victims to come forward without fear. She also highlighted the role of the Inspectorate's fully-fledged Directorate of Ombudsman Affairs, which handles complaints relating to maladministration and injustice. This provides an important institutional mechanism for addressing concerns affecting citizens' access to public services. Deputy British High Commissioner to Uganda, Tiffany Kirlew, who attended the opening, urged participants to openly share their experiences and insights to enrich the discussions.
Kirlew expressed optimism that recommendations arising from the workshop would contribute to meaningful change in the fight against gender-related corruption in Uganda. The health and education sectors are critical areas where citizens interact directly with the State, making them particularly vulnerable to corruption and abuse of authority. Corruption in these sectors has far-reaching consequences for families, communities, and Uganda's development, while eroding public trust in institutions.
The two-day workshop aims to examine the gender dimensions of corruption and identify effective strategies to address sexual corruption in Uganda's health and education sectors. The event has brought together stakeholders from various sectors to share experiences and insights, with the goal of developing recommendations that will contribute to the fight against gender-related corruption.
Key points
- The Inspector General of Government is seeking stronger action against sexual corruption in Uganda's health and education sectors.
- Sexual corruption often remains hidden and under-reported due to fear of stigma and retaliation.
- The Inspectorate of Government is calling for more accessible and responsive reporting mechanisms to encourage victims to come forward.
