IGG targets govt bigwigs for life style audit

The Inspectorate of Government has  started verifying assets declared by at least 160 public officials.

Addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre yesterday, Ms Beti Olive Kamya, the inspector general of government (IGG), said: “All leaders holding public office are required to declare their assets as per the Leadership Code Act.”

She added: “We are starting with top managers like Permanent Secretaries, managing directors, and accounting officers among others because of their unique responsibilities. We aren’t witch hunting anybody but simply implementing the law.”

Ms Kamya said the inspectorate has eased the process and leaders can now declare their assets online unlike in the past.

“Corruption is cancerous and [if] we don’t stop it then it will stop us. We want to ensure that public officials have property that is commensurate to their income as a way of protecting public resources,” she said.

The Inspectorate is empowered under the Leadership Code Act to verify declarations that have been submitted to ensure that they are correct and truthful. 

The Act requires all public officers, politicians and other specified leaders to declare their income, assets and liabilities to the IGG.

According to the Act, a political leader or public officer who fails, without justifiable cause, to submit a declaration of his or her income, assets and liabilities to the inspectorate is in breach of the code and is liable for prosecution and penalties prescribed under the law including dismissal from the public office if at all the Leadership Code Tribunal finds him or her guilty.

The Leadership Code of Conduct is provided for under Chapter 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and operationalised under the Leadership Code Act, 2002.

The Act was enacted to prohibit behavior likely to compromise honesty, probity, impartiality and integrity of public officers in management of public affairs, public funds and other property.

The Leadership Code Act was amended in 2021

Procedure
A political leader and specified officer is required to declare his or her income, assets, and liabilities within three months after being elected or appointed and thereafter every two years during the month of March.

Therefore, leaders who last declared in 2019 should have made their most recent declarations in March 2021, and if they didn’t, they are in breach of the code and liable for penalties unless they can adduce sufficient grounds for non-compliance.

On the other hand, the new leaders, who were elected or appointed in 2021 and took oath of office in June/July 2021, should have made their declarations within three months of assuming office. 

That is not later than in September/October 2021, failure of which they are in breach of the Code and liable for penalties unless they can adduce sufficient grounds for non-compliance.

A political leader, specified officer or public officer who is appointed or elected any time after the month of March, is required to submit their declaration of income, assets and liabilities within three months upon assumption of office.