By Oweyegha-Afunaduula
Uganda has been oscillating in the pack of the 36 worst-ranked and has on average been among the 24 most corrupt in the world over the past 12 years (Nafula, 2024).The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023 underscores the gravity of the situation, ranking Uganda 141st out of 180 countries, with a score of only 26. The CPI evaluates the perceived levels of public sector corruption globally, using a scale where zero indicates a highly corrupt state and 100 signifies a very clean on (Kisakye, 2024).
In the last 10 years, big time scandals reflect a persistent pattern of corruption and misuse of public resources, undermining trust in public institutions and highlighting the need for more effective anti-corruption measures in Uganda (Char News, 2024).
According to the Inspectorate of Government, Uganda loses approximately Shs 10 trillion annually due to corruption-related activities. This pervasive vice has eroded trust in the government, diminished infrastructure, caused delays in project implementation, discouraged investments, compromised social service delivery, and, in severe cases, resulted in loss of life (Kisakye, 2024).
Some Scandals involving billions of shillings, such as the coffee deal scandal and the Vinci Lubowa Hospital scandal have involved President Tibuhaburwa Museveni and his NRM Parliamentary Caucus, causing billions of shillings to be siphoned off through Parliament at the expense of social development.
Sometimes the President has just been tricked by mafia-like people such as Nelson Tugume, who used the President to secure 21 billion shillings in the Coffee deal, which he then diverted to his own coffee factory, Inspire Africa Coffee in Ntungamo (Kim Aine, 2024).The funds taken by Tugume for his private coffee enterprise is almost higher than the 2023/2024 financial year budget (Shs 22bn) which the government allocated to cater for the allowances of medical interns and senior house officers across Uganda (Kim Aine, 2024). Apparently, Daily Monitor reported on March 19 2025 that the Factory was being boosted by Shs 179 billion, of course with the central role of the President of Uganda and his NRM Parliamentary caucus in the Parliament of Uganda. Given the way Nelson Tugume was able to convince the President to invest large sums of public money in his factory, away from social development of Ugandans, suggested there might be some big names, other than the inconspicuous Tugume, in the Ntungamo coffee factory, sucking public money in an otherwise private enterprise. The Ugandan public is already convinced that the Ntungamo Coffee project is a brewing scandal (Javira Ssebwami, 2025),with the Parliamentary Caucus and President Tibuhaburwa Museveni at its centre.
It will be extremely difficult to fight corruption of every conceivable in Uganda because some openly corrupt deals are immunised by presidential and parliamentary political approval of a Parliament dominated by the NRM Caucus.
One time President Vladmir Putin of Russia said those who fight corruption should themselves be clean. Zero Tolerance to Corruption was President Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s clarion call to fight corruption. Just like he does not refer to the Ten Point Programme as frequently as he used to, he hardly mentionsZero Tolerance to Corruption. Scandals are on the rise. Because it now known the Italian Mafia have penetrated the Ugandan economy, there is no doubt that the Mafia are involved in the robbery chain of Uganda, many times officially.
The case of ghost pensioners to the tune of 24,000 ghost pensioners, which has attracted investigations by the Inspector General of Government (IGG), is not unlike ghost workers in many government institutions. Apparently, the failure of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOs). to give a definitive census figure of the population of Uganda, does not augur well for elections in Uganda. It opens the gateway for election scandals in the 2026 Presidential, Parliamentary and Council elections. The Chairman of the Uganda Electoral Commission says the Commission is going to use the 2014 census data while its own register of voters has fewer voters than the register of the NRM members of 20 million or so.
Below are some of the big-time scandals that have, since 1986 when the NRM/A captured the instruments of power through the barrel of the gun, sucked public money away from the social development of Ugandans. Development. Virtually all of them have involved people that take themselves as big weights in the National Resistance Movement (NRM). Clearly, the NRM has extremely few people who can help the country to fight corruption because as Muniini K. Mulera (2024) says corruption is an evil that nourishes the NRM’s rule in Uganda.
The Chain of Scandals in Uganda Since 1986.
Junk Land rovers/Santana UPDF 1988.
UPDF UGX 24 billion Procurement Scandal, Ministry of Defense 1990s
Tax Evasion scandal by President Museveni’s firm – DANZE 1996
Plunder of the Resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo by UPDF soldiers -1997-1998
Sale of Uganda Commercial Bank Scandal – Salim Saleh Akandwanaho.1998
The Theft of UPDF Salaries totalling UGX 1.9 billion, Captain Dan Byakutaga.2000.
The Ghost Soldiers Saga UPDF 2003
Valley Dams Scandal UGX 3,5 billion Former Vice President and Minister of Agriculture, Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, 2003
Global Fund/Gavi Fund Scandal: Jim Muhwezi, Mike Mukula, Alex Musinguzi, 2005.
Katosi Road Scandal (2013/2014)
Junk Chopper Scandals 2000, 2015,
Pension Scam -24,000 ghost pensioners.
Chogm Scandal Former Vice-President Gilbert Balibaseka Bukenya 2007
NSSF UGX 2.7 billion scandal -Former NSSF Managing Director, David Chandi Jamwa, 2009
Ministry of Public Service Scandal 2010
OPM PRDP Scandal Kazinda Former Accountant General, OPM Office 2011.
NSSF-Temangalo Land Scandal Amama Mbabazi, Amos Nzeyi, 2008
Local Council (LC!) Bicycle UGX 4.2 billion Procurement 2014.
ELECTION SCANDALS (SINCE 1996)
Office of Prime Minister Refugee Cash Scandal (2018).
OPM Covid 19 Cash Mismanagement Scandal 2020)
Lubowa Specialised Hospital (2019 and Ongoing) Enrica Pinetti and President Tibuhaburwa Museveni
Vinci Coffee Deal Scandal -Enrica Pinetti and President Tibuhaburwa Museveni
NSSF Scandal Minister of Gender Vs NSSF Top Management UX 6 billion scandal
Uganda National Budget Scandals
Ntungamo Coffee Project Scandal 2025.
For God and My Country
Further Reading
Black Money Newsletter, Issue 14 2014. Uganda Action Aid. 28 Years of Corruption? Citizens Action Against Theft of Our Money Without Shame.https://uganda.actionaid.org/sites/uganda/files/14th_edition_black_monday_newsletter.pdf Visited on 06 April 2025 at 13:15 pm.
Charmar News(2024). Here are Uganda’s Biggest Scandals of the past ten Years. Charmar News, August 28, 2024. https://charmarnews.com/here-are-ugandas-biggest-corruption-scandals-of-the-past-ten-years/ Visited on 06 April 2025 at 14:03 pm EAT.
Chemonges, Timothy (2022). President Museveni defends Uganda Vinci Coffee Deal. Parliament Watch, June 8 2022.https://parliamentwatch.ug/news-amp-updates/president-museveni-defends-the-vinci-coffee-deal/ Visited 06 April 2022 at 15:24 pm EAT.
Daily Monitor (2013). High Profile Corruption Scandals Registered Under NRM. Daily Monitor, February 23 2013https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/high-profile-corruption-scandals-registered-under-nrm-1536538 Visited on 06 April 2025 at 13:20 pm EAT
Damali Mukhaye (2025). Shs 179 billion boost to private coffee factory sparks public outcry. Daily Monitor, March 19 2025.
Derrick Kiyonga (2023). How Corruption Scandals Have Bedevilled NRM govt Over the Years. Daily Monitor, May 21 2023. https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/people-power/how-corruption-scandals-have-bedevilled-nrm-govt-over-the-years-4241292 Visited on 06 April 2025 at 13:09 pm EAT.
Frank Kisakye (2024). How Corruption Became a Billion Dollar Industry. The Observer, May 28 2024.https://observer.ug/news/how-corruption-became-a-billion-dollar-industry/ Visited on 06 April 2025 at 14:12 pm EAT.
JANE NAFULA (2024). Uganda Lost Shs 30 billion to Corruption in FY 2023-2024 – Say IGG. Daily Monitor, September 09 2024. https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/uganda-lost-shs30b-to-corruption-in-fy2023-24-says-igg-4755738 Visited on 06 April 2025 at 13:40 pm
Javira Ssebwami (2025). Brewing Scandal: Government faces heat over controversial Ntungamo Coffee Project. PML Daily, March 19 2025
Kim Aine (2024). Coffee Scandal: How Nelson Tugume tricked Museveni; diverted Shs 21 billion to Own Factory in Ntungamo. Chimp Reports, January 25 2024.https://chimpreports.com/coffee-scandal-how-nelson-tugume-tricked-museveni-diverted-shs-21bn-to-own-factory-in-ntungamo/ Visited on 06 2025 at 15:31 pm EAT.
Kristof Titeca (202). Who paid the price for Uganda’s refuge fraud scandal (and Who Didn’t? The New Humanitarian, Investigations, 7 December 2022.https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/investigation/2022/12/07/Uganda-UNHCR-refugee-fraud-corruption Visited on 06 April 2025 at 14:24 pm EAT.
Muniini K. Mulera (2024). Corruption, An Evil that Nourishes the NRM’s Rule in Uganda. Pashion for Humanity, June 11 2024, https://blog.mulerasfireplace.com/engage/corruption-an-evil-that-nourishes-the-nrm-s-rule-in-uganda-22964 Visited on 06 April 2025 at 13:04 pm EAT.
Kalema, Stephen (2019). The Biggest Corruption Scandals in the History of Uganda. Watchdog,30 Nov 2019,https://www.watchdoguganda.com/news/20191130/83610/list-the-seven-biggest-corruption-scandals-in-the-history-of-uganda.html Visited on 06 April 2025 at 13:24 pm EAT.
Zawedde Senteza, Lilian (2024) How corrupt was Uganda in 2023. The Independent,February 7, 2024https://www.independent.co.ug/how-corrupt-was-uganda-in-2023/ Visited on 06 April 2025 at 13:50 pm EAT.
