The Anti-Corruption Court on July 26, 2023 remanded the Rukiga district senior environment officer, Mr. Byaruhanga John for alleged fraud.

Mr. Byaruhanga took plea before HW Esther Asiimwe.

According to the charge sheet signed by Deputy IGG, Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria, between 2019 and 2021, Mr. Byaruhanga John, being a senior environment officer in Rukiga district, caused financial loss to the district by irregularly collecting timber movement revenue contrary to section 20(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2009 as amended.

Mr. Byaruhanga is also accused of forgery, contrary to Section 342, 345 and 349 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 120.

For instance, he, among other forgeries, made a false Rukiga District Local Government Forest Product Ticket No. 023 of UGX514, 000 dated December 12, 2020.

He pleaded not guilty on all counts and was remanded till August 14, 2023 when his bail application will be considered.

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) has released three officials of Rakai District Local Government on bond as investigations into their alleged diversion of public property continues.

The officials include Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr. Edward Kamya, District Education Officer (DEO), Mr. Stephen Ssemutono and the Vice LCV Chairperson, Mr. Ismael Bwanika.

The trio was arrested on Monday at the district headquarters and transferred to Kampala where they were detained.

Background

Rakai DLG procured furniture using the School Facilities Grant under the Universal Programme (UPE).

The procuring entity handed over furniture (12 desks) and handed them over to Mr. Ssemutono for distribution.

During the handover, Mr. Bwanika offered to deliver the desks to Kiganda Primary School in Luanda Sub-county, which had been earmarked to receive the furniture.

Mr. Bwanika, who is also the area Councilor of Kiganda village allegedly delivered only six desks to Kiganda Primary School and diverted the other seven desks to Kiganda Secondary School, which he co-owns.

According to IG investigations, both the deputy CAO and the DEO failed to play their supervisory role, which led to the diversion of the property.

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) on July 24, 2023 arrested three officials from Rakai district over diversion of public property.

The officials include; Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr. Edward Kamya, District Education Officer (DEO), Mr. Stephen Ssemutoono and the Vice LCV chairperson, Mr. Ismael Bwanika.

Rakai District Local Government procured furniture using the School Facilities Grant under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) Programme.

The procuring entity handed over furniture (12 desks) to Mr. Ssemutono for distribution.

During the handover, Mr. Bwanika offered to deliver the desks to Kiganda Primary School in Luanda Sub-County, which had been earmarked to receive the furniture.

Mr. Bwanika, who is also the area Councilor of Kiganda village allegedly delivered only six desks to Kiganda Primary School and diverted the other seven desks to Kiganda Secondary School, which he co-owns.

According to IG investigations, both the Deputy CAO and the DEO failed to play their supervisory role, which led to the diversion of the property.

Deputy Inspector General of Government (DIGG), Mrs. Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe on July 20, 2023 interacted with students of St. Mary’s College Kisubi on ethics and the fight against corruption.

Mrs. Muhairwe was accompanied by the Director Research, Education and Advocacy (DREA), Mr. James Penywii, the Manager Strategic Partnerships and Public Relations, Hajjat Munira Ali, and the Manager Ombudsman Affairs (Regions), Mr. Daniel Luutu.

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) has been engaging students in both secondary and tertiary institutions through integrity clubs on their role in the war against corruption.

The purpose is to recruit them to be citizens of good moral values, but also join the IG in the war against corruption.

The Chairperson of St Mary's College Kisubi, Dr. Kasozi Mulindwa Saurninus, committed to establish an Integrity Club at the school.

The students shared their views about corruption and showed their commitment to joining the war against corruption.

Last month, the IG interacted with students of Bishop Stuart University in Mbarara and Nkumba University to rally them to join the war against the vice.

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) on July 10, 2023 held an engagement with the leadership of Makerere University led by the chairperson of the University Council, Ms. Lorna Magara.

This followed numerous complaints received by the IG against the University.

The Deputy Inspector General of Government, Mrs. Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe noted that it was in the interest of the IG to engage stakeholders to address matters of administrative injustices.

The University leadership pledged to address the issues.

The IG has previously handled issues of maladministration in Universities with the recent one being Kabale University where some staff accused management of alleged victimization and corruption.

The IG is among others mandated to promote and foster strict adherence to the rule of law and principles of natural justice in administration.

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) on July 11, 2023 commemorated the African Anti-Corruption Day (AACD).

The Day was commemorated under the theme: “Strategies and Mechanisms to reduce the cost of corruption in Uganda”.

However, the theme for the whole of Africa was: “African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, 20 years after: Achievements and Prospects”. Call to action; How can we accelerate the fight against corruption in the next decade?”

The AACD is commemorated on 11th July every year.

The IG in 2021, initiated the study on the cost of corruption in Uganda with support from the GIZ, to generate empirical data on the cost of corruption in Uganda.

According to the report, Uganda loses close to UGX 10 Trillion every year in both direct (overt) and indirect (covert) corruption per year, which translates to 23% of the annual government budget.

The Africa Union estimates that $140 billion is lost through corruption annually. This is equivalent to the GDP of all but 43 out of 48 countries in Africa.

To put this in another perspective, this amount can ensure uninterrupted power 24 hours a day to every citizen in Africa for 3 years.

As part of activities to commemorate ACCD, IG carried out a number of activities including holding a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre to share the steps being taken to eliminate corruption.

The other activities included Radio and TV talk shows and newspaper supplement.

While addressing Journalists, the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Hon. Beti Kamya Turwomwe noted that IG currently uses a number of interventions including investigations, arrests and prosecution, leadership code, asset recovery, spot-checks and international collaborations among others to fight corruption.

However, she revealed that the IG seeks to involve the citizens in the war against corruption since they are the main victims.

“IG has purposed to co-opt all Ugandans in the war to combat corruption by enhancing public awareness about the cost and pain of corruption to stimulate the wanainchi to despise, detest and reject it. The IG is thus mobilizing citizens to unmask corruption and take appropriate action,” the IGG said.

Under this approach, the Inspectorate will recruit all citizens at all levels to be ambassadors of anti-corruption. They will be trained to identify all forms of corruption and expose it other than being bystanders because they are victims of corruption.

“This approach will also focus on prevention through advocacy, education and community mobilisation. This approach is intended to incite the population against public officers whose action of corruption are manifested through lifestyle not commensurate with their known income, “she said.

Through sensitisation, citizens should be able to relate their personal experience due to inadequate service delivery directly linked to corruption.

About ACCD

The African Union (AU) adopted the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) in Maputo, Mozambique on 11th July 2003.

The Convention came into force on 5th August 2006. To date the convention has been ratified by 48 Member States of the African Union.

Uganda signed and ratified the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and has since joined the rest of Africa to commemorate the day every 11th of July.

Report on investigations in allegations of mismanagement, abuse of office and corruption by the former Managing Director of NSSF published

View Report

The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Hon. Beti Kamya Turwomwe on June 23, 2023 awarded Ms. Jemimah Jehopio with a plaque and a cash prize during the 50th graduation ceremony of Law Development Centre (LDC).

Ms. Jehopio excelled in Trial Advocacy on the Postgraduate Bar Course for the 2021/2022 academic year.

The IGG was represented by the Inspectorate of Government’s (IG) Director Legal Affairs, Ms Sarah Birungi Kalibbala.

The IGG every year awards LDC’s outstanding student in Trial Advocacy on the Postgraduate Bar Course.

Ms Jehopio also scooped two other awards; LDC Director’s Prize and the Agaba Muhairwe Prize. The Agaba Muhairwe Prize is given to the best student in Corporate and Commercial Practice on the Postgraduate Bar Course.

Grade 1 Magistrate HW Esther Asiimwe has remanded 3 Kaliro DLG staff to prison till 6th July 2023 for mention of their case.

The trio that include Godfrey Mutome, Chief Finance Officer, John Wabwire, former District Accountant and Rebecca Kwagala, Principal Human Resource Officer, were arrested by the Inspectorate of Government on 22nd June 2023 and charged with 3 counts of embezzlement, money laundering & causing financial loss.

The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Hon. Beti Kamya Turwomwe, has asked students to join the Inspectorate of Government (IG) in the war to eliminate corruption and speak strongly against it.

The IGG made the clarion call on June 16, 2023 while officiating at the Students’ Anti-Corruption Conference at Nkumba University.

‘You will be the leaders of tomorrow hence you have a very big role to play to ensure that corruption is eliminated. We want you to be ambassadors against this evil and be able to expose it because if you don’t then you and your families will be victims of the same corruption you failed to fight,’’ the IGG warned.

She noted that some public offices have incompetent workers today because they got jobs through corrupt means, something she said has led to a mediocre workforce in the country.

For the war against corruption to be won, the IGG said, all citizens must own it and expose the corrupt. She revealed that the IG will continue sensitizing the public on their role including students.

‘‘When you look at the Mabaati saga, it is the citizens who exposed it and so is the extortion at Entebbe International Airport. You also saw how the public spoke about potholes in the city. This shows you how the citizens can eliminate corruption because they’re the victims,’’ she said.

The President of Nkumba University’s Integrity Ambassadors Club, Mr. Amon Muhwezi, thanked the IGG for encouraging the public to report corruption by offering them 5% of the recovered money as per the Whistleblowers Act.

‘‘I was really touched by this programme because it will motivate the public to report more cases of corruption. As a leader, I pledge to rally my fellow students in other institutions of learning to join the war against corruption because we have a role to play to ensure that Uganda becomes corrupt-free,’’ he said.

The IG, through its public awareness strategy enlists the support of the youth in the fight against corruption. This is done through formation of Integrity Ambassadors Club (IACs) in Universities, tertiary institutions and secondary schools.

Integrity Ambassadors Clubs are formed to advocate for and spread the ideals of integrity and ethical conduct amongst young people.