A senior official in the ministry of finance has admitted that much as government officials are corrupt, even people in the villages are equally corrupt thus calling for a mindset change in the entire country.

Margaret Kakande, the head of Budget Monitoring Unit at the Ministry of Finance said corruption is endemic to all Ugandans at every level.

“We are sick, we need divine intervention for mindset change because everyone is corrupt in Uganda even people in the villages,” Kakande said, qualifying her statement that even herself as a civil servant is constantly under pressure in her social circles as everyone expects her to have more money and assets than her salary can afford.

“People in our villages expect big contributions for their functions, they want us to drive big cars and live in big houses yet they know our salary cannot do all that,” she lamented.

Kakande was responding to a barrage of comments during the plenary on how corruption by government officials is preventing the country from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This was on 20^th September 2018 at the 5^th Annual national conference on economic, social and cultural rights held at Makerere University main hall. It was organized by Makerere School of Law.

She said that it is everybody’s duty to hold the government to account but the leaders we elect are not up to the task.

“The people you elect are a reflection of who you are and they are what you deserve,” said the stern-talking Kakande in a veiled attack on the poor performance by Members of Parliament.

The executive Director Food Rights Alliance, Agnes Kirabo concurred with Ms. Kakande on corruption. Kirabo, who was also a panelist at the conference said corruption is an ethical issue. “Our ethics have gone down the drain as a country and corruption is an ethical issue. Some one is arrested for abuse of office and everyone from his village is up in arms, they even invade court to demonstrate,” she said.

The two-day conference drew participants from across the whole country with leaders from civil society organizations.