Kampala, Uganda – Uganda has today October 10, 2024 joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Ombuds Day, with the Inspectorate of Government revealing impressive achievements in resolving Ombudsman cases.
The Inspector General of Government, Beti Kamya Turwomwe, while addressing journalists at Uganda Media Centre, highlighted the significance of the day. “Today, we celebrate the crucial role of ombudsmen in promoting fairness, resolving conflicts, and upholding ethical standards,” Kamya said.
According to Kamya, the Inspectorate resolved 636 Ombudsman cases in Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Local Governments (MDALGs) during the 2023/2024 financial year. This includes 135 cases in MDAS and 501 cases in LGs.
“The Inspectorate’s efforts aim to enhance awareness of the ombudsman function, promote good governance, and ensure efficient public administration,” Kamya explained.
She also emphasized the importance of citizens reporting mal-administration, administrative injustices, and corruption.
Kamya noted that corruption thrives when laws, rules, and regulations are disregarded or violated. “If the Ombudsman mandate is effectively executed, corruption will be prevented and eventually eliminated,” she stressed.
The Inspectorate’s achievements include conducting 75 boardroom sessions to resolve service delivery issues, resolving 22 cases through Alternative Dispute Resolution, and conducting 10 system reviews.
In addition, UGX 9,663,877,734 was paid to individual complainants in unpaid employment benefits.
“As we commemorate the International Ombuds Day, we encourage the citizens to report all forms of mal-administration, administrative injustices and corruption as mentioned above to the lG head offices located on Plot 14 Jubilee Insurance Centre along Parliament Avenue and our 16 regional offices.”Kamya said.”Our doors are open to receive your complaints.”
She also emphasized the importance of handling grievances at the source, encouraging officers to exhaust available avenues before reporting cases to higher authorities.
“Let us collectively work towards restoring the broken administrative systems and rule of law so that we can all enjoy a corruption-free Uganda.” She said
The International Ombuds Day is observed every second Thursday of October. This year’s theme, “Here to Hear You,” highlights the ombudsman’s role as a mediator between the government and citizens.
