Even after launching the new Inspectorate of Government Online Declaration System (IG-ODS) in August last year, some 3,899 government officials have failed to adjust to the new system of declaring their wealth.

Civil servants were supposed to start sending declarations of their incomes, assets and liabilities on February 1, 2017. The IGG says that many institutions and individuals were unable to declare either because they simply preferred the old manual system or left the links sent to them to expire.

“I call upon leaders to always avoid doing things at the last minute. Unfortunately, these are the cases we always find ourselves investigating,” the inspector general of government, Irene Mulyagonja, told journalists recently.

The declaration of assets is one way government tries to fight corruption and illicit accumulation of wealth by public officials. Leaders are by law required to declare their incomes, assets and liabilities within three months after being elected or appointed to serve an office and, thereafter, every after two years during the month of March.

Failure by leaders to make the declaration can lead to dismissal from their leadership positions. Information from the IGG indicates that out of the 402 requests for declaration of wealth submitted to Parliament, only 326 were answered, representing 81 per cent. The declarations were received as of March 31, 2017.

In police, of the 3,163 declarations expected, only 1,419 were received, representing 44.8 per cent. Civil servants from the judiciary made 65 online submissions out of 96 expected. At the local government level, 2,683 leaders, out of 4,758, declared their wealth.