THE GOVERNMENT OF UGANDA IS TO CONFISCATE ILLEGALLY, FRAUDULENTLY, AND CORRUPTIBLY ACQUIRED PROPERTY BY ITS LEADERS SERVING IN PUBLIC OFFICES.
Writes Leo Odera Omolo
A controversial report tabled in the Ugandan Parliament on Tuesday this week says the government will confiscate the property of three top government officials whose wealth was found not to match their genuine income.
Presented by the Acting Inspector General of Government {IGG} Raphael Baku, the report says in part, “Verification of leaders declaration of incomes, assets and liabilities, and investigations of the allegations of the breach of the leadership code continued”. The IGG report for 2009 was submitted to Parliament on Tuesday this week.
“The properties of three top government leaders were found not to be commensurate with their incomes and liabilities. The property forfeiture therefore is to commence immediately”, adds the report.
The Acting Inspector General of Government, Raphael Baku specifically named one of the three top officials as Nastor Gasasira, the Principal Accountant in the Ministry of Health. The official, who is currently interdicted, has challenged the IGG report and recommendations.
The report valued his residential houses, flats and plots and found them to be in excess of his normal income, to the tune of Ushs 2 billion.
Baku, however, did not disclose the identity of the other two leaders in Parliament, saying he had forgotten their names.
In another case, the report disclosed the pay compensation by one leader, who opted to compensate the government, instead of having his assets confiscated. The total amount of money received was Ushs 300 million, paid to the IGG Asset Recovery Account. Again the name of the leader in question was not mentioned.
Under the 2002 Leadership Code of Conduct, Ugandan leaders have to declare their incomes and assets, and explain in detailed account how they acquired them, in a bid to promote transparency and accountability in public service.
About 90 per cent of the over 9,000 leaders submitted their declarations in the first half of last year {2009}. Of those, the report says, about 6,500 were thoroughly examined. This leaves 1,700 leaders who did not comply with the leadership code, but their names were again not revealed.
The report tabled in Parliament also gives details of gifts declared by only three leaders. But the leadership code requires that any gifts that is above Ushs 100,000 in value must be declared.
The Commander of the Land Forces, Gen Katumba Wamala, had declared having received a pistol from an export company in Karachi, Pakistan.
The other two who declared gifts were Uganda Revenue Authority {URA} chief Kagima, and former IGG boss Faith Mwondha. Kagima said she received a digital photo frame from Chinese ambassador to Uganda, and a phone handset from UTL, while Mwondha reported Ushs 120,000 in honorarium and USD 1000 in facilitation for two international conference.
The report further says the IGG received 739 complaints against officials between January and June last year. And almost half of all the complaints involved delay in service delivery, mishandling of tender and contracts, embezzlement and bribery and extortion.
Most complaints were against district administrations{20 per cent}, followed by individual public officials {18 per cent} and the police settled in third place at 8 per cent.
In terms of districts, Kampala topped the rest with 149 complaints, followed by Masaka {40 per cent}, Kabarole {32 per cent}, Jinja and Kabale both shared 24 per cent.
In the period under the review, IGG arrested a total of 18 top public officials who investigations found to be corrupt. Most of them were arrested for abuse of office, and causing financial loses to the public coffers.
Those arrested include the Mayor of Jinja, the Town Clerk of Kaboga, Rev Ssentongo and Richard Kuteba of Kanyoro SS.
Among those arrested in the first half of 2009 were also Mbarara based magistrate, Moses Ndifna and the district education officers at Kamuli, Ibrahim Kanakulya.
Another 51 cases are still being prosecuted, prominent among them is the GAVI fund scam, involving former Health Minister, Jim Muhwezi and his two junior Ministers. This particular case is said to have stalled following an application filed by the accused in the constitutional court.
The IGG also reported having successfully argued a case against the American Procurement Company in which a total of Ushs 4.1 billion was saved.
Baku, however, accused the office of the Solicitor General of not being supportive in implementing his office’s recommendations.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com