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Online Platform in Uganda Allows People to Anonymously Report Poor Service Delivery and Corruption in their Community

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Author Julie Taylor, September 8 2016 -  In recent decades, Uganda has made various efforts to establish systems to fight corruption, including a strong legal framework, but actual implementation of corruption prevention has been weak. “In Uganda, corruption is widely considered a problem, across a range from demographics, from students to taxi-drivers, shopkeepers to watchmen,” says Roy Mukasa from Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU).  “Few people are aware of their rights; many people have paid or continue to pay bribes on a regular basis. For example, we have learned about school girls who have bribed to get good grades, and others who have bribed to get medical treatment – the list goes on and on.”  

 

With Yogera (which means “speak up” in Luganda) anyone in Kampala can now anonymously report evidence of corruption via the Yogera website or via social media on Facebook or Twitter.  Once a report is made, the Yogera team will follow up with the responsible district leaders or relevant authority to ensure that the matter gets resolved. Once resolved, the Yogera team reports back to the online too.  This way, citizens will be encouraged to speak up because of the change that has happened when they made their online report.  Yogera also provides members of the public with an opportunity to encourage anti-corrupt behaviour, with its “Celebrate a Hero” button.  

 

“Technology presents us with huge opportunities to foster a culture of transparency and accountability,” says Barbara Birungi, Director of Hive Colab.  “In places where corruption is a social norm, citizens need to be empowered to work together to shift those norms. It is difficult for individuals to stand alone against corruption.  Yogera provides an easy and safe way for them to do it together, and start to change norms”.

 

Corruption remains a barrier to development and poverty reduction in Uganda and in many other African countries - but new online tools like Yogera will help promote open democracy and foster a culture of accountability.

 

About Yogera

Click here for the Yogera website.

Click here for Yogera on Facebook.

Click here for Twitter.

 

The Yogera pilot is led by  Hive CoLab, Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) and Parliament Watch Uganda, and supported by mySociety, a UK based Technology firm. It is funded by Indigo Trust UK and British Council UK.  The number of civil society groups involved is growing, and we are inviting other players in the space to join the fight against corruption and bring on improved service delivery in Uganda. Become a supporter of Yogera here.

 

About Hive CoLab

 

Hive CoLab is a business accelerator and incubator for East African startups. It is currently home to over 1000 members and hosts numerous collaborative events throughout the year including Apps4Africa, Mobile Monday, ISOC events, Micrsoft4Afrika, Tech for Governance Initiative challenge, DemoAfrica workshops and Girls In ICT day. To date, Hive Colab has been a major contributor to local capacity building, creating local jobs, improving access to capital, and has encouraged innovation by fostering a culture of collaboration to build a vibrant tech community in Uganda.

 

About Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda  (ACCU)

 

The Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) is a national umbrella membership organization that brings together 17 like-minded Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and activists in the fight against corruption in Uganda. It has a network of nine (9) Regional Anti-Corruption Coalitions (RACCs) in Uganda.

 

About Parliament Watch Uganda 

 

Parliament Watch Uganda is a virtual tracker that monitors the Parliament of Uganda on a regular basis and provides both relevant data and expert analysis.

 

Contact Details

Click here for more information.

info@yogera.ug

+256392177979

As with all of the blogs posted on our website, the content above does not imply the endorsement of The CI or its Partners and is from the perspective of the writer alone. We do not check facts and strive to retain the writer's voice, as is detailed in our Editorial Policy.