The Ugandan Government is stepping up efforts to strengthen District Integrity Promotion Forums (DIPFs) as part of a broader strategy to improve accountability, transparency and service delivery in local governments.

The move is aimed at bringing government institutions involved in auditing, procurement, investigations, oversight and the fight against corruption closer together so they can coordinate their work and respond more effectively to accountability concerns.

District Integrity Promotion Forums are intended to provide a platform where key stakeholders can share information, discuss integrity challenges and follow up on issues affecting the use of public resources and delivery of government services.

The Directorate for Ethics and Integrity has identified the strengthening of DIPFs and Integrity Focal Persons as part of its wider anti-corruption strategy, including efforts to ensure that local governments and cities have functional integrity forums.

The latest proposals highlight concerns that institutions working separately can sometimes duplicate their work, produce different findings or fail to share important information and recommendations.

The proposed approach would encourage agencies to plan jointly, exchange findings and coordinate follow-up actions arising from audits, investigations and other oversight activities.

Particular emphasis has been placed on making better use of reports and recommendations generated by institutions such as the Office of the Auditor General, Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) and Inspectorate of Government (IG).

The aim is to ensure that accountability reports do not simply remain on paper but result in corrective measures at district and city level.

Recent government accountability programmes have similarly focused on strengthening DIPFs as platforms for bringing accountability stakeholders together. Government budget documents indicate that DIPFs have been strengthened in a number of local governments, while the Inspectorate of Government has continued to emphasise their role in preventing corruption.

The strengthening of the forums is also expected to give local governments a stronger mechanism for monitoring service delivery.

Under the proposed arrangements, District and City Integrity Promotion Forums would help identify problems affecting public services, raise accountability concerns and monitor how responsible institutions respond.

The forums can also provide an avenue for citizens and other stakeholders to bring local accountability concerns to the attention of district authorities.

Experiences from different parts of Uganda show that DIPFs can bring district leaders, government agencies and citizens together to discuss accountability and service-delivery challenges. In Karamoja, for example, anti-corruption organisations have used the forums to engage district leaders and present concerns gathered through community monitoring.

The proposals also call for clearer performance measures to determine whether the integrity forums are delivering results.

This includes developing measurable performance and accountability indicators and preparing a comprehensive report covering DIPF activities, achievements, challenges and areas requiring improvement.

An accountability matrix has also been proposed to help assess the effectiveness of the forums and track whether recommendations arising from oversight activities are acted upon.

The emphasis on measurable outcomes is intended to shift the focus from simply holding meetings to demonstrating tangible improvements in accountability, public-resource management and service delivery.

The strengthening of DIPFs forms part of a wider national effort to coordinate Uganda's response to corruption.

At national level, the National Integrity Promotion Forum (NIPF) provides a platform for coordinating efforts to prevent and combat corruption among government institutions and other stakeholders.

The Directorate for Ethics and Integrity's current strategic direction also places emphasis on strengthening integrity structures at local-government level.

The Inspectorate of Government has recently reiterated the importance of ensuring that District Integrity Promotion Forums are operational and functional, particularly in the context of monitoring service delivery and promoting accountability.

The proposed strengthening of the forums is therefore expected to improve cooperation among accountability institutions while ensuring that audit findings, investigations and other oversight interventions lead to action.

Ultimately, the government wants the integrity mechanisms operating at district and city level to contribute directly to better service delivery, stronger accountability and more efficient use of public resources.