President Museveni’s New Anti-Corruption Unit Uncovers Massive Tax Evasion at URA
The newly established State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit has uncovered Shs600 billion in losses within the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). David Kalema, recently appointed as the head of the unit, has led the investigation, which has identified substantial tax evasion.
Kalema, a former URA employee, wasted no time in addressing these issues. In three weeks, he has exposed significant gaps in the tax collection system. A source revealed that certain importers received unauthorized tax waivers, contributing to the losses. By law, URA is not permitted to grant such waivers.
The new unit has also discovered numerous other loopholes in the tax system and has reported these findings to President Museveni. “This shows that whoever thought the unit was merely a paper tiger should now know that work is ongoing and the Commander-in-Chief is taking steps,” the source stated.
The revelations have caused panic among managers at the Nakawa-based URA. To prevent further leaks, they have restricted access to computers, disabling the use of Gmail and flash drives.
Social media has been abuzz with reactions to President Museveni’s appointment of Kalema, given his past conviction for tax fraud. However, sources indicate that Kalema’s extensive experience at URA, where he served from 2007 to 2017, played a crucial role in the president’s decision. During his tenure, Kalema was responsible for ensuring compliance and preventing revenue loss, even drafting the Customs Compendium.
Kalema’s deep understanding of URA’s systems is causing unease among corrupt officials. “The panic now is caused by the fact that those involved are worried that he knows the systems and he has already uncovered massive corruption and revenue loss in the books of URA,” the source explained.
There are plans to challenge Kalema’s appointment in court, but President Museveni remains focused on addressing corruption within URA. In 2020, he highlighted the issue of low tax collections and vowed to clean up corrupt practices within the organization.
Speaking at a cabinet retreat, Museveni stated, “There is a lot of collusion and people who are not paying taxes. This is corruption. There has been a lot of corruption in the URA but I have thoroughly cleaned it. We have dispersed the URA crowd. We shall clean all other institutions that have corrupt people.”
