The Price of Transparency: Rebuilding Trust in Uganda
Uganda’s efforts towards transparency have not repaired trust in democratic institutions. Canada offers some lessons.
By Nickson Mugabi
Transparency is widely considered a cornerstone of democracies. However, as Niall Ferguson argues in The Great Degeneration, institutional decay stemming from weak governance, inadequate rule of law, and declining civic engagement can undermine trust even in systems that claim to be transparent. In Uganda, efforts to improve fiscal transparency have not bridged the “trust gap.” By learning from Canada’s robust transparency practices, Uganda can create a governance model that fosters accountability, citizen participation, and institutional resilience, addressing the systemic barriers that undermine trust in its democratic institutions.
The 2023 Statistics Canada Confidence in Institutions and the Media Report underscores the vital role of trust in institutions and media for social cohesion and individual well-being. It finds that Canadians with high confidence in institutions are significantly more likely to trust media, highlighting how these forms of trust reinforce each other. Confidence levels vary by geography and language: Québec residents and Francophones generally report higher trust. Importantly, those facing financial or health challenges tend to have much lower trust in institutions and media, emphasizing the link between socio-economic well-being and public confidence. The report clarifies that trust is foundational for a resilient, informed, and participatory democracy.
Uganda has made strides in fiscal transparency through initiatives like the Public Finance Management Act 2015 and the Ministry of Finance’s Uganda Budget Information. However, the nation’s score of 41/100 in the 2021 Open Budget Survey (OBS), above the sub-Saharan Africa average of 31, still falls short of the global average of 45 and lags far behind Canada’s impressive 87. Public participation remains a critical challenge, with Uganda scoring only 13 out of 100, compared to Canada’s 61. While fiscal data is accessible in Uganda, limited citizen engagement in the budget process fuels perceptions of exclusion, reinforcing that transparency is a superficial exercise rather than a mechanism for real accountability.
The Edelman Trust Barometer, a global survey measuring institutional trust, highlights declining trust in governments across sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda, which is mainly driven by corruption, weak oversight, and poor service delivery. When these measures are poor, formal transparency has a limited benefit for trust in government. In contrast, Canada’s seemingly better trust levels stem from its strong oversight mechanisms, participatory governance, and reliable delivery of public goods.
Ferguson warns in his book that transparency can expose institutional weaknesses, potentially deepening public cynicism if meaningful reforms do not accompany it. Uganda provides a clear example; while publishing budget allocations exposes critical fiscal data, it also highlights inefficiencies and corruption. High-profile scandals, such as the misuse of funds for healthcare and education, have eroded public confidence due to a lack of accountability, which exacerbates disillusionment rather than rebuilding trust.
Canada exemplifies a more advanced approach to transparency than Uganda, combining strong institutions, public participation, and open governance frameworks to foster accountability and trust. Canada's strong civic engagement stems from effective civic education programs that enable citizens to hold their government accountable. Canada still faces gaps in civic education — a recent survey from Abacus Data shows that many Canadians lack basic knowledge of how their government works. Canada’s model, though imperfect, demonstrates how transparency, when backed by institutional integrity and genuine public engagement, can be a powerful tool for building public trust.
Fostering a similar culture in Uganda could include integrating civic education into school curricula for sustained awareness and utilizing media platforms to highlight the crucial role of citizens in governance. Citizens' engagement in fiscal processes is also essential for a thriving democracy. Despite their demographic dominance, youth engagement in Uganda’s budgeting processes remains minimal. Structural barriers and a lack of formal channels for youth input often sideline their participation in fiscal decision-making. Initiatives like the Uganda Democracy Academy Fellowship and the National Unity Platform’s School of Leadership are working to reverse this trend by equipping young leaders with the knowledge and skills to engage in governance and budgeting processes. Still, greater investment in digital platforms and partnerships with civil society organizations is essential to meaningfully include youth in shaping budget priorities that affect their futures.
Canada is also a model in the realm of fiscal transparency, effectively bridging the gap between complex financial information and public understanding through clear summaries, visual infographics, and interactive tools. Uganda could similarly cultivate greater accessibility by creating simplified, comprehensible fiscal documents, employing visual representations to highlight budgetary priorities and results, and equipping local officials with the skills to communicate financial data in formats that resonate with their communities. This would foster informed engagement and strengthen the foundations of fiscal responsibility in governance.
Procurement is one area where oversight is particularly vital. Uganda can cultivate an environment of trust and clarity by enhancing the independence and capabilities of oversight institutions like the Auditor General and fostering transparency through real-time publication of procurement data. These measures create a system where ethical practices are embedded in public expenditure and procurement processes.
Reversing institutional decay necessitates addressing systemic deficiencies through meaningful reforms. In Uganda, this entails moving beyond mere transparency to confront the root causes of public distrust, such as accountability failures, corruption, and limited civic involvement. By adopting strategies similar to Canada's, like enhancing public participation, clarifying fiscal information, bolstering oversight, and fostering a culture of accountability, Uganda would transform transparency into a means of empowerment.
Nickson Mugabi, currently an MPP candidate at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University, hails from Uganda and holds a law degree from Makerere University. With extensive experience in human rights advocacy from his previous work with the National Unity Platform Uganda, he is dedicated to advancing information integrity, democratic governance, and inclusive policy development and is committed to crafting evidence-based solutions that drive meaningful change for underprivileged communities.