Government commits on access to information

This year’s Anti Corruption Week is close to fulfilling its goal of ensuring public access to information. This is the success of a well co-ordinated advocacy campaign.

By Henry Muguzi, ACCU

16. January 2004

The Government of Uganda has committed itself to March 2004 as the deadline for presentation to parliament the draft bill on access to information. The principals of the bill will be presented to cabinet as early as December 2003.

State minister for information, Hon. Nsaba Buturo, sounded the commitment. He was responding to a question for oral answer put to him by Hon. Abdu Katuntu during a plenary session of parliament in the first week of November.

Access to information is a vital tool in fighting corruption and a pre-requisite of a transparent system of government. Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) made it the theme for this year’s activities, which peaked in the last week of October, popularly known as the Anti Corruption Week.

One of the activities of the week was a parliamentary debate aimed at pushing the parliament to legislate on the freedom of access to information. Parliament was quick to realise the urgency of the law and therefore demanded that government produces the attendant in the shortest possible time.

This was a result of a well co-ordinated advocacy campaign masterminded by ACCU secretariat that brought on board, African Parliamentarians Network against Corruption (APNAC), Young Parliamentarians Association and Public Accounts Committee among others.

Together they formed a pressure group which even threatened to come up with a private members bill on access to information should government not produce it in the shortest possible time.

So when question was put to the minister, he was quick to realise that a cross section of members in parliament wanted the bill sooner than later, leaving him with no choice but to commit. This is a big score for the advocacy campaign.

However, it’s ACCUs concern that civil society has not yet been brought on board regarding a draft bill.

ACCU continues to advocate access to information till the law comes out. The Anti Corruption Week 2003 has formed a sound basis for the future bill by enabling many ‘ordinary’ people to learn about their constitutional right to information. They were sensitised on how they can use access to information to fight corruption.

During anti corruption week, more Ugandans realised the fact that the current state of no access to information is a hiding place for corrupt leaders and bureaucrats.

Article 41 of the constitution of Uganda grants all citizens the freedom of access to information, but which is currently considered classified and lies in the hands of government. Since 1995 when the current constitution was enacted, parliament has never legislated on this fundamental human right. Information belongs to the people.