- Nearly one in five Ugandans (18%) cite corruption as one of the most important problems facing the country that the government should address. The proportion of citizens who consider corruption an urgent problem has ranged from just 3% in 2000 to 20% in 2017 (Figure 1).
- Almost seven out of 10 Ugandans (68%) say corruption in the country increased “somewhat” or “a lot” during the year preceding the survey (Figure 2).
- Among citizens who accessed selected public services during the previous year, 71% say they had to pay a bribe to obtain police assistance (Figure 3).
- More than eight out of 10 Ugandans (81%) believe that citizens who report corruption to the responsible authorities risk retaliation or other negative consequences (Figure 4).
- Only 18% of Ugandans think the government is doing a good job of fighting corruption (Figure 5).
Most Ugandans say that corruption is increasing and that citizens risk retaliation if they report it to the authorities, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.
According to the findings, corruption ranks among the five most important problems that citizens want the government to address. Only a small minority think that government anti- corruption efforts are adequate.
Among respondents who sought selected public services during the previous year, substantial proportions report having to pay a bribe.
The survey findings suggest a need to strengthen the country’s anti-corruption institutions and demonstrate that witness-protection legislation can indeed protect whistle-blowers. Uganda ranks 142nd out of 180 countries in controlling corruption, according to the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International.
