Uganda Forum Against Corrupt Entities

Corruption has left health systems in Uganda on the brink of collapse. It is driven by lack of real consequences for being corrupt. A person engages in corruption in one organization and is hired in another organization because there is no reliable system to carry out a background check. That person corrupts the processes in the new organization and the cycle continues. However, if there was a database where all instances of corruption are recorded and thus discoverable by prospective employers, this would deter corruption. Employees would know that they can not hide their corrupt behavior by striking a past employer off their resume because their past corruption is recorded in a database. Reduced corruption will improve service delivery and strengthen health systems in Uganda. Reduced corruption equals more funding for priorities such as education and health care. Reduced corruption equals better health services and planning for emergencies.

Corruption in Uganda leads to loss of more than thirty percent of the national resource pool. These are resources that could be used to fund national priorities such as education and health care. As a result of corruption Ugandan has very few hospital beds, medical infrastructure is on the brink of collapse and even the available health facilities are a long distance from the beneficiaries. The money allocated to health care is plundered and the few health workers available steal medicine from health facilities and are constantly absent from work. As a result of corruption, health facilities have no medicine, no equipment and limited personnel. These corrupt individuals need to be eliminated by creating serious consequences for corruption.

The solution uses database software to create a database of all instances of corruption in both public and private offices. The database draws information from law enforcement agencies, judiciary, the public and employers. The database is accessible by any prospective employer to determine whether the prospective employee has a history of corruption.

A corruption database that records all instances of corruption in all organizations in Uganda would make it difficult for person's with a history of corruption to get employment. A prospective employer would search the corruption database and discover the past corrupt behavior of the prospective employee. This database would scare individuals from engaging in corruption for fear of stagnating their careers or for fear of becoming unemployeable. The current system is flawed because it is based on the good will of the former employer to inform the prospective employer of the past misconduct. The system is also flawed because it depends on voluntary disclosure and thus can be beaten by an individual striking the employer with whom he or she has a bad history off his or her resume. A corruption background check in Uganda will reduce corruption in both public and private offices. Part of the problem is that organizations hire staff from each other thus infecting each other with corruption vices. A corrupt individual leaves one organization and joins another which might not be corrupt. This person brings with him or her the vices he or she was practicing in the previous organization and infects the new organization. This cycle goes on and on leading to the institutionalization of corruption. The police of Uganda which is relied on by organizations for background check is stuck with manual records, does not receive information about some instances of corruption and is itsself very corrupt. A comprehensive database incorporating data from the police, courts, other law enforcement agencies and employers will ensure that prospective employers have access to Information about instances of corruption that a prospective employee has engaged in. This system will deter corruption and thus lead a reduction in the prevalence of corruption in Uganda. This will improve service delivery, safe public resources that would have otherwise been plundered and ensure that capable people occupy Public offices. With better service delivery and low levels of corruption in the health care system, we shall be better equipped to respond to emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandamic.

Corruption in Uganda leads to loss of more than thirty percent of the national resource pool. These are resources that could be used to fund national priorities such as education and health care. As a result of corruption Ugandan has very few hospital beds, medical infrastructure is on the brink of collapse and even the available health facilities are a long distance from the beneficiaries. The money allocated to health care is plundered and the few health workers available steal medicine from health facilities and are constantly absent from work. As a result of corruption, health facilities have no medicine, no equipment and limited personnel. These corrupt individuals need to be eliminated by creating serious consequences for corruption.

The database is publically available at  https://ugface.org/backgroundIt is so far based on information sourced from the Inspectorate of Government. It contains most of the corruption cases investigated by the organization. It is being improved to include cases handled by the anti corruption court of Uganda. With funding from this challenge, it will be updated with information from employers who are willing to participate.