The Inspector General of Government (IGG) has appealed to government to expedite amendments to the leadership code so that the inspectorate can go after leaders who fail to declare their wealth.
Ms Irene Mulyagonja made the request before the Speaker of Parliament yesterday during the launch of the Inspectorate of Government Online Declaration System (IG-ODS), a new system which will facilitate newly elected and appointed leaders to declare their assets. The declaration of assets is one of the ways government established to combat corruption in the country and illicit accumulation of wealth.
The Leadership Code (Amendment) Bill 2016, which was gazetted on June 17, seeks to establish a tribunal that will deal with leaders who, among others, fail to declare their assets.
“If the Leadership Code Tribunal is established, the Inspectorate of Government (IG) commits to strengthening the war against corruption by ensuring that errant leaders in breach of provisions of the code are adequately sanctioned,” the IGG said.
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. This will in future help government recover stolen assets.
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga promised to fast-track the Bill in the House. “Because of the need of the tribunal which has hampered the work of the IGG, it is a matter we have continuously raised to the President as the Appointments committee that we need a tribunal to assist the IGG in her work,” Ms Kadaga said.The State minister for Ethics and Integrity, Fr Simon Lokodo, appealed to the leaders to make use of the ODS and submit declarations as required by law. Fr Lokodo stressed that leaders’ failure to submit a declaration is a punishable offence.
ABOUT THE NEW SYSTEM
The declarations will in the new system be secured with a personalised password, making them inaccessible to persons who do not have user rights to the IG system.
The system was tested by inviting leaders to make declarations in March and the IG was able to collect 45 per cent of the expected 25,000 declarations.
The system facilitates the IG in data capture, search, analysis, comparison and extraction or retrieval and in future, government will be able to electronically compare the information in leaders’ declarations with information in other databases across government such as the Uganda Revenue Authority and the Registry of Titles.
In 2002, the Leadership Act (LCA) came into force as one of the measures put in place by government to combat corruption, and enhance good governance and transparency in the management of public affairs.