Col Nakalema: Let’s all fight corruption

Col Edith Nakalema, the newly-appointed head of the State House Investors Protectorate Unit, has asked Ugandans to join forces to defeat corruption.

Col Nakalema, who was appointed by President Museveni last week, also said she is ready for the task ahead.

“I honestly don’t want to give an interview on something I have not done before. I only want to say that I am very grateful to His Excellency the President for his continued trust in me. I am very ready to make my contribution in every way possible,” Ms Nakalema told this publication at the weekend.

President Museveni last week set up the unit, saying he was frustrated by corrupt government officials who ask for bribes from potential investors and when such investors refuse to give bribes, they are blocked.

“I am going to set up another small unit in my office where the investors can ring directly if anybody asks them for a bribe or delays decisions,” Mr Museveni said.

A 2022 report commissioned by the Inspectorate of Government indicated that government loses up to Shs9.1 trillion annually to corruption. The study conducted by the Government Transparency Institute, an international think tank in good governance, found that a significant portion of the losses which accounted for 44 percent of government revenue in 2019, could be attributed to bribes paid to tax officials.

Ms Nakalema yesterday said to combat such vices of corruption, everyone must take responsibility and action. She said the war against corruption is not only for individuals appointed to serve in various offices mandated to fight corruption, but a collective effort of all good-willed Ugandans who must work hard to protect the resources of the country.

“I will also call upon the goodwill citizens to collectively work together and we ensure that investors are given good reception and every support they deserve but not to be extorted from,” she said.

Col Nakalema first headed the Statehouse Anti-corruption Unit when it was created in 2018 by the President after he openly accused the IGG and other government anti-corruption agencies of complacency.

She immediately took on a military approach to fighting corruption, often storming institutions and arresting everyone with the help of armed soldiers.

She was later on replaced by Brig Gen Henry Isoke after Nakalema was sent for a yearlong training at Defence College in Jinja. Nakalema who sounded upbeat about the new appointment said she is waiting for the next direction from her superiors before embarking on the daunting task of cleaning the investment image of the country.

“Normally when these appointments are done, they take immediate effect, but I don’t want to start saying I am starting today or tomorrow, but I am waiting for the next directive from the leadership,” she said.

The task ahead

The 2022 IGG cost of corruption report indicated that the cost of bribing judges stood at a whooping figure of Shs762.9 Billion shillings, the loss of government revenue from permits originating from bribes stands at Shs14.2 billion, while cost of bribing official to receive permits was at Shs243.7 billion

The 2022 US state department report on the investment climate in Uganda states that while Ugandan government and authorities vocally welcome FDI and celebrate its job creation benefits, rampant corruption, weak rule of law, threats to open and free internet access – including a five-day complete internet shutdown surrounding January 2021 elections and an ongoing, year-long ban on Facebook – and an increasingly aggressive tax collection regime by the Uganda Revenue Authority create a challenging business environment.

The report says that in June 2021, the government scrapped the $0.056 Over the Top (OTT) daily tax for consumers to access social media channels, it was replaced by a 12% excise duty levy on each internet package purchased, which increased the cost of doing business in Uganda.

The report shows that Col Nakalema has work to do.

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