The Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG), George Bamugemereire, has appealed to Parliament to expedite the amendment of the Leadership Code Bill to enable the Leadership Tribunal to commence work.
Bamugemereire told the speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga on Thursday that due to the absence of the law, the Tribunal is currently idle yet there is much work to do.
“They cannot do any work without this Bill passed into law. We request Parliament to pass the Bill so as to harmonise the breeches with the corresponding sanctions,” Bamugemereire said.
Bamugemereire noted that without a law in place, the Tribunal cannot commence hearings because it does not have powers to deal with the declaration which is due to be submitted in March 2021.
“We were hoping that as we move towards the declaration period, the Tribunal should also be in place to hear the cases of those who might not follow the law but if it's not in place, they cannot do anything,” he said.
He was presenting the IG performance report for the period June-December 2019 and January to June 2021 to Kadaga at Parliament.
President Yoweri Museveni recently appointed a five-man tribunal chaired by Dr Roselyn Irene Karugonjo Ssegawa, to investigate corruption cases.
Other Members of the Tribunal are Asuman Kiyingi, Jane Arume Okellowange, Didas Bakunzi Mufasha and Joyce Nalunga Birimumaaso.
In 2002, Parliament enacted the Leadership Code Act (2002), which provided detailed enforcement procedures for the Inspectorate of Government in fulfilment of the constitutional objectives of promotion and maintenance of Honesty, Probity, Impartiality and Integrity in Public Affairs and protection of public funds and property.
The amendment Bill is currently before the Parliamentary Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
Kadaga agreed to fast- track the Bill to enable the office of the IGG do their work.“The legal committee has been working on six Bills which are now complete. I will also ask them to handle this also very quickly. We need to do something between now and March,” she said.