Why IGG raided govt investment authority

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) on Tuesday afternoon raided offices of the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged mismanagement.

Officials from the Inspectorate, insiders told this publication, swarmed into the offices along Baskerville Avenue in upscale Kololo, Kampala around 4pm Tuesday acting on a tip that the agency’s internal auditor had employed a group of eight staff who were meddling with key documents related to an ongoing probe that commenced mid-last month.

The said illegal actions were reportedly being perpetrated in an office on the seventh floor. During the raid, the said staff were ejected from the office and documents confiscated, sparking off commotion that evening. Inspectorate officials stayed at the premise until around 1 a.m., sources said.

At about noon on Wednesday, the officials returned to the UIA offices this time widening the search into the finance and administration section of the offices located on the sixth floor. The section head was reportedly out of town and had locked the office, forcing the investigators to use a crowbar to force their way in.

Ms Munira Ali, spokesperson of the government ombudsman confirmed the raid to this newspaper.

“The Inspectorate went to pick documents from UIA as part of investigations into numerous complaints against UIA that we have been receiving,” she said yesterday.

A search warrant signed by the Deputy Inspector General of Government, Ms Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe granted the officials leeway to collect or seize, among other documents, all minutes of the evaluations and contract committees for the financial years 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, and 2023/2024.

Other documents of interest were all Local Purchasing Orders for the financial years 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, and all planning and performance reports for 2020/2021, 2021/2022, and 2022/2023.

Inspectorate officials reportedly seized UIA’s assets register, sitting management and allocation of space to staff, personal files of selected staff, and  all board and management minutes for 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024. All internal and external audit reports, staff lists, lists of staff recruited, and fuel management registers for the same period seized.

The UIA is the statutory agency charged with initiating and supporting government’s investment initiatives and policies. The agency has over the last five years been in the news, oscillating from one crisis to another, especially internal wrangling which boiled over with the ouster of the former director general, Ms Jolly Kaguhangire in June-2018. Ms Kaguhangire’s brief tenure was marred by squabbling with the board.

The then board led by now Buyanja East MP, Mr Emely Kugoza subsequently interdicted her on grounds including gross insubordination and incompetence. Ms Kaguhangire was cleared of the accusations by an IGG-led investigation but the board declined to reinstate her in the role.

Instead, the board went back to the drawing board and scouted for a new director general, Mr Robert Mukiza, whose appointment President Museveni initially stalled pending resolving issues surrounding Ms Kaguhangire’s ouster.

Eventually, in May 2021, Mr Museveni gave the nod to Finance minister, Matia Kasaija to appoint Mr Mukiza.

In an internal memo to staff on Wednesday evening, Mr Mukiza moved to downplay the raid, maintaining that “management has nothing to hide and will fully cooperate with the investigations in accordance with the law.”

He explained that on Tuesday the Inspectorate issued a search warrant authorising its staff and police officers to carry out a search at UIA premises and collect any oral, electronic and documentary evidence.

Documents listed for seizure included, among others: approved budget and work plans, accountability files, procurement files, minutes of both board and management' meetings, staff lists, personal files of selected staff, fuel management and others.

“The above search is said to be pursuant to a complaint lodged with the office of the IGG. However, UIA has not been availed a copy of the alleged complaint and as such management is not aware what exactly is being investigated and the motive behind the investigation,” he said, adding that the “UIA has been on course in carrying out its mandate under the law without any interference revitalising and increasing investment in Uganda which is crucial for the development of our country.”

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