The organization was founded in 1993 as a pressure group to bring together peoples’ voluntary initiatives to enhance accountability, transparency and integrity among all Ugandans. In 1996, TIU attained its accreditation as a national chapter to Transparency International whose Headquarters are in Berlin Germany.
As a member of the global  anti-corruption movement, TIU is an active contributor to the TI strategic goals namely, promotion of national anti-corruption reform through concrete research and action, increasing the understanding of the link between corruption and poverty, sensitizing the general public to demand for good governance and promoting continuous institutional development.