Broad Strategic Objectives:

For the period 2008 – 2012 TI Uganda’s focus will be on five (5) broad strategic areas as follows: 

Advocacy and Lobbying: TI Uganda will work with other actors to advocate and lobby government and other institutions to strengthen the legal and institutional framework to combat corruption, promote upright morals and work towards creating a vibrant social movement against corruption in Uganda. 

Working with the Media: TI Uganda will work to strengthen the role of the media in fighting corruption by facilitating investigative training to journalists, production of a compilation of media reports on corruption in Uganda (proof in media) and run integrity award recognition schemes. Documenting corruption incidents and publicizing them shall be undertaken in order to have communities that are informed about corruption and its effects and are able to demand transparency and accountability from those in positions of responsibility.

 Policy Monitoring and Reform: TI Uganda will engage in policy monitoring and reforms through public participation and creation of awareness. It will facilitate research and information dissemination and support the production of educational materials for guiding communities in monitoring the usage of public funds and to ensure the compliance of duty bearers with the set standards. 

Capacity Building: TI Uganda will support and strengthen the capacity building efforts and initiatives among likeminded organizations and other actors to empower them with knowledge and skills to face up to the challenge of fighting corruption effectively. 

Promoting Integrity in the electoral Process: TI Uganda will work with other actors to sensitize and create awareness on electoral corruption and its effects through organizing public debates, seminars for prospective holders of political offices and media workshops. These shall be aimed at promoting integrity in the electoral process as a precondition for free and fair elections, as well as democracy and good governance.

Networking: Given the magnitude of corruption in Uganda, it is only reasonable to work strategically with other actors and be able to harness the power of synergy.

TI Uganda promotes this by strengthening linkages with both local and international NGOs, networks, professional institutional and government structures.

TI Uganda continues to work with the Anti corruption Coalition of Uganda (ACCU) and the Inter Agency Forum (IAF) as umbrella bodies that bring together CSOs and government departments, respectively. The IAF comprises the Inspectorate General of Government (IGG), the Criminal Investigations Department of Police (CID), the Directorate of Public prosecutions (DPP), Directorate of Ethics and Integrity and the office of the Auditor General (AG).

TI Uganda works with civil society groups at the grassroots and through regional coalitions and networks such as the National NGO forum, development Network of Voluntary association (DENIVA), Uganda Women’s Network, Uganda Debt Network (UDN), Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) etc. at international level, TI Uganda works closely with fellow Transparency international chapters world wide to share information, best practices and strategies to combat corruption.

Some Milestones: TI Uganda has contributed to the anti-corruption crusade in Uganda through programmes that have concentrated mainly on advocacy and creating public awareness about corruption and its effects among the people of Uganda. In particular it:

• TI Uganda successfully founded and initiated in 1998 the anti-corruption week (ACW) in Uganda. This has since developed into a best practice anti-corruption tool, celebrated annually.

• In Kisoro District of South Western Uganda TI Uganda encouraged and facilitated the formation of Kisoro Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACCO) and Voluntary accountability Committees in the villages to monitor the usage of local government funds.

• TI Uganda together with the Uganda Debt Network and the International Anti corruption Theatre Movement mobilized to form the Anti-corruption Coalition of Uganda in 1999, now a vibrant umbrella Anti corruption body in the country with a membership of over 40 organizations.

• Participated effectively in lobbying for the enactment of the access to public Information Bill (now the Access to Information Act, 2005) and the amendment of the Leadership Code Act, 2002 which empowers the inspector General of Government to prosecute and recommend for the dismissal of public officers who abrogate the Leadership Code Act.

• In 2005 TI Uganda conducted a study and released a report on the impact of political corruption on resource allocation and service delivery in local governments. The report has since informed policy reform initiatives in Local Governments in Uganda.

• TI Uganda secured funding from the 9th EDF Civil Society Capacity Building Program of the European Union for a 2 year project (July 2006-June 2008) to empower communities in Kyotera County and their leaders with the skills and knowledge to monitor the implementation of local government development programmes.

• In the run up to the 2006 general elections in Uganda, TI Uganda in partnership with the Anticorruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) undertook to conduct an in-depth study of the legal and policy framework on electoral campaign financing in Uganda. The study examined the adequacy of the laws and guidelines on political party and electoral campaign financing in Uganda. One of the major outputs of this study was the production of a user-friendly handbook that brought together, in one booklet, all the Uganda laws, policies and guidelines on electoral campaign financing as well as the use of public/government resources by incumbent office holders in partisan electoral campaigns. The handbook is a useful guide to civil society organizations in monitoring the compliance of political actors with the laws, policies and guidelines. The study findings together with the documented experiences of civil society organizations in monitoring the extent to which they were complied with are an invaluable resource in the reform of the legal and policy framework on electoral campaign financing for future elections in Uganda (Study funded by the Electoral Support Unit- Donor basket, Uganda)

• Further, in the run-up to the 2006 general elections in Uganda, TI Uganda in partnership with the Anticorruption Coalition of Uganda (ACCU) took initiative to play the constitutional watchdog role of civil society of monitoring election campaign financing and the misuse of public resources in the electoral process. Under a loose coalition code named “Coalition for Election Finance Monitoring” (CEFIM) the project’s broad objective was to promote transparency and integrity in the 2006 electoral process by identifying and exposing the breaches of the laws and regulations governing electoral processes; monitoring the enforcement of the election related legislation and practices; and stimulating civic responsiveness to demand transparency and accountability from political actors during the campaigns. The project generated unprecedented public responsiveness to demand transparency and accountability in the electoral processes thus marking a new chapter in the character of elections in Uganda given the new focus by civic groups on monitoring election campaign financing and the usage of public resources in partisan politics.