Patronage driven corruption undermining the fight against poverty in Uganda

Uganda has been a den of corruption for a long time, a “disease” that has eaten up the entire society. Surprisingly or not, the Ugandan political machine has ensured that this practice thrives to benefit its interests at the expense of the majority poor. This study reveals that Uganda’s patronage and corruption quandary emanated from the British Colonial administrative system which was based on using a section of local people to rule over the rest and consequently rewarded them for supporting their policies and interests. With the intentioned absence of democratic rule, institutions that could condemn, exert public control and demand accountability from public officials never developed. As a result, evidence shows that despite Uganda’s strong anti-corruption framework, patronage and corruption have continued to thrive largely due to the failure of anti-corruption institutions to enforce the anti-corruption framework making the fight against corruption a losing battle