Leadership tribunal needs Shs80b to fulfill anti-graft plan

The Leadership Code Tribunal has unveiled a five-year anti-corruption plan to fight graft in the country.
Mr Asuman Kiyingi, the deputy chairperson of the leadership tribunal, said they need Shs80b to implement it.

“We need a home-like institution to do our work because we are spending Shs750m on rent annually. So the money will help us put up a leadership code tribunal house,” Mr Kiyingi said during a workshop in Kampala last Friday.  

“The money will be used to pay salaries, rent, transport, electric management system, starting regional courts, among others,” he added.

Dr Roselyn Karugonjo-Segawa, the chairperson of the tribunal, said since its inception about two years ago, they have so far handled seven cases involving breach of the leadership code.

Subsequently, she promised that her team will effectively and efficiently adjudicate matters relating to breaches of the conduct in the context of the national, regional and international legal framework.

“Our goals are to strengthen capacity, partnership, to work closely with the Inspectorate of Government and enhance public awareness. There is need for more funds to help handle many cases in future,”  Dr Karugonjo said.

Last month, the tribunal registered its first conviction of a senior official with the Health ministry whom they demoted after he pleaded guilty to using government Covid-19 response cars to transport his construction materials.

The tribunal also ordered Mr James Tukahirwa, a senior assistant secretary,  to pay a Shs22.5m fine under the Leadership Code Act.

Dr Karugonjo also said the plan considers the rapidly changing corruption landscape and seeks to strengthen the strategic partnerships to build accountable and transparent leadership.

During the panel session, Mr Shauib KR Chemisto, a central region representative of the Uganda Law Society, tasked the tribunal to also handle  cases involving top government officials .

“Don’t do your work like the other anti-corruption agencies that have failed to handle corruption cases of big government officials and instead rush for the small ones with the monetary value of as low as Shs1m,” he said.

Tribunal's mandate 

The Leadership Code Tribunal is mandated to hear and adjudicate breaches of the Leadership Code of Conduct as filed by the Inspectorate of Government under the Leadership Code Act. Such breaches include those relating to the declaration of income, assets, and or liabilities for example non-declaration, failure to submit declarations, false, incorrect and anticipatory declarations and late submissions of declarations.

Other breaches include participation in prohibited contracts, accepting gifts for favours, failure to declare or dispose gifts in accordance with the act, failure to respond to a request from clarification from the IGG, prohibited conduct and contracts, misuse of official information, illegitimate influence from offers of future employment, conflict of interest, and abuse of public property, among others.