Uganda urged to consider Tanzania’s law against sexual corruption

What the report says

Ugandan anti-corruption advocates are urging lawmakers to look at Tanzania’s legal approach to sexual corruption, or sextortion, after new discussion of how the practice affects schools, workplaces and public services. The Independent Uganda, citing URN, reported from Kampala that a December 2021 study commissioned by the Inspectorate of Government found that 10% of respondents in a nationally representative household survey had heard, at least once in the previous five years, of a teacher or school official offering better grades or exam passes in exchange for sexual favours.

The report says the issue is not limited to education. It cites earlier research and complaints describing similar demands in the public health sector, employment, and applications for government services, where people in authority are alleged to have used their power to pressure women and girls into sexual relationships. Lawyer and human rights activist Patricia Munabi argued during a presentation on sexual corruption that Uganda’s current laws do not specifically criminalise the conduct, making enforcement difficult and leaving gaps in protection for victims.

The article also notes that researchers and past university and health-sector studies have documented concerns about abuse of authority, though some figures reflected awareness of the problem rather than direct personal experience. The discussion highlighted that victims often hesitate to report demands made in private and may struggle to produce evidence.

As a possible model, the workshop pointed to Tanzania, where Section 25 of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act targets people who abuse authority to demand sexual favours in return for jobs, promotions or preferential treatment. The broader significance, according to the report, is that Uganda may need a specific legal framework to address sextortion separately from ordinary bribery.