Museveni said corruption remains a significant hindrance to Uganda's progress, manifesting through issues like bribes and delays.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday launched the Electronic Investor Protection Portal (EIPP) that is aimed at helping investors, both foreign and local, to report complaints about corruption, bribes and delays directly to the Office of the President.
The State House Investors Protection Unit headed by Col Edith Nakalema worked with the National Information Technology Authority (Nita) to develop the portal.
The portal enables the president to directly monitor how government agencies respond to complaints raised by investors.
Col Nakalema said this initiative followed presidential guidance for government agencies to embrace digital transformation to limit human involvement in transactions and reduce or combat corruption.
She added that some of the complaints raised by investors include the delays to receive feedback from some of the authorities in government agencies and failure to deliver responses to the complaints raised.
Col Nakalema further said some of these delays are motivated by corrupt tendencies.
However, State Minister for Privatisation Evelyn Anite said she was concerned that whereas the president had established various agencies to fight corruption, the vice still persists.
“We have an electronic and physical systems, but the investors are still complaining. I am challenging Col Nakalema and asking her what is going to be new with this one?” Anite said during the launch of the EIPP at state house Entebbe on Wednesday.
Col Nakalema responded that the unique feature about the EIPP is that it enables Museveni to directly monitor how government agencies respond and address the complaints raised by investors.
Museveni said he was aware of complaints raised by some Ugandans over his decision to create multiple agencies to tackle corruption, but the vice is still rampant.
“This one (EIPP) I wanted focus. I told Nakalema not to be judgemental. If investors are fighting in the courts over land, those are their issues. But you (Nakalema) look at the government officials who are supposed to facilitate investment and whether they are facilitating the investment effort or not’,” Museveni said.
Museveni is hopeful that the portal could be effective if the developers ensure that nobody can manipulate and interfere with the system.
Nita Executive Director Dr Hatwib Mugasa said the portal has a provision for language translation so that investors who are not familiar with English language can launch complaints using their own languages, which the system will automatically translate into English.
It also has a whistleblower section that enables individuals who do not want to be identified to unanimously file complaints and provide evidence.
The Nita developed the portal within one month and it has been active since August. So far, 128 complaints have been registered.