The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Lady Justice Naluzze Aisha Batala, has called on young people to embrace the values of integrity and accountability, describing them as essential foundations for effective and responsible leadership.
Justice Batala made the remarks on January 12, 2026, while officiating at a mentorship session organized by the Baganda Nkoba Zambogo Students Association at Makerere University. The event was held under the theme “The role of the youth in upholding national values and advancing accountability.”
Addressing students, the IGG challenged the youth to use their time purposefully and play an active role in shaping Uganda’s future.
“This is your moment. This is your responsibility. This is your generation’s contribution to the destiny of our country,” she said. “The Inspectorate of Government calls upon the youth to embrace integrity, defend accountability, reject corruption, demand transparency, serve with dignity, and honour culture.”
She warned that corruption thrives in environments where values are weak, accountability is absent, and citizens remain silent. According to the IGG, the fight against corruption goes beyond punishing offenders and is central to safeguarding national development, dignity, and identity.
“Corruption is not harmless. It steals medicines from health centres, desks from classrooms, jobs from graduates, opportunities from innovators, and futures from the youth. It weakens the state, undermines service delivery, distorts competition, and destroys trust between the citizen and the state,” she noted.
Deputy Inspector General of Government, Anne Twino Muhairwe, cautioned the youth against living without purpose, reminding them that they are the country’s future leaders, professionals, and thinkers.
“Your decisions—what you create, defend, and who you elect—have profound consequences. Choose leaders who espouse values that build the nation, not those who exploit its divisions. Hold them, and yourselves, to the highest standards,” she said.
Muhairwe also encouraged young people to move away from merely lamenting national challenges and instead become part of the solution.
“As you step forward from this place, choose to be different in a world that often encourages selfishness, fragmentation, and short-term gain. Choose unity over division, construction over criticism, and service over mere success,” she added.
Meanwhile, Bishop Joshua Lwere, the General Overseer of the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches, urged the youth to uphold strong moral standards as a pathway to great leadership.
“Discipline starts with the small things—prayer, time management, honesty, empathy, and selflessness. That is how you build a lasting career as a leader,” Bishop Lwere said.
