The nature and forms of public procurement corruption in Uganda's local government systems: implications for good governance debate

Abstract

Bad governance is regarded as one of the root causes of all evil within our societies. Good governance ought to be participatory, consensus-oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, efficient, equitable, inclusive and follows the rule of law. In our context, it assures that corruption is minimised, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. Local governments globally have been established as key public service delivery centres. However, this function at the local government level has had serious concerns about graft and procurement-related malpractice hence undermining the role government officials responsible for public funds. Such incidences suggest serious impediments to the governance agenda in Uganda’s public sector. Using a survey of respondents from Uganda’s four regions, we examine the forms of procurement corruption that threaten many lives of poor citizens through denial of effective services.