President Museveni has defended the creation of a new unit designed to combat extensive corruption within Uganda’s revenue collection institution.
The State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit, established last week, is part of a broader strategy to address tax under-declaration and the embezzlement of collected revenue, which the President identifies as significant impediments to the nation’s development.
“There’s under-collection of taxes, there’s massive stealing of what’s collected,” Museveni said while opening a seven-day Cabinet retreat at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi.
Critics argue that the new unit, headed by David Kalemera, may overlap with existing structures and could potentially lead to bureaucratic inefficiencies. However, President Museveni remains resolute, underscoring the necessity of such measures to safeguard public funds.
Adding to his anti-corruption arsenal, Museveni has also announced plans to establish an Accountancy and Audit Unit. This new entity will focus on preventing the theft of public funds by ensuring thorough and transparent accounting practices across government departments.
The President’s recent actions are not limited to the formation of new units. He has been vocal about parliament’s handling of the national budget. In a recent move, Museveni returned the budget to parliament, condemning the legislators for what he described as corrupt and selfish actions.
“The money diverted was selfishness. To do small road from nowhere to where in my constituency so they can know I am working very hard. But in so doing you undermine the money that would do very much,” Museveni said.
He issued a stern warning to public servants who fail to report corruption, citing an incident involving the Ministry of Energy, where the budget was allegedly cut due to corruption but went unreported. The President made it clear that such negligence will not be tolerated.
“If you hide corruption, you will be arrested for aiding and abetting crime. Why not report? We hope the judiciary does not grant bail for murder, treason, terrorism, rape, corruption, and village theft,” he said.
