Lawyers: We want the Anti-corruption Unit scrapped
ULS chair. Ms Pheona Wall Nabasa
What you need to know:
- The report, dubbed ‘Rule of Law Report 2021, 4th Quarter’ and released last week, suggested that the Office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) be strengthened to fight corruption as mandated by the Constitution.
A new rule of law report by the Uganda Law Society has recommended the disbandment of the State House Anti-corruption Unit.
The report, dubbed ‘Rule of Law Report 2021, 4th Quarter’ and released last week, suggested that the Office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) be strengthened to fight corruption as mandated by the Constitution.
The report documented the incidents against the rule of law in the last quarter of last year.
“Political leaders should stop interfering with the work of the Office of the IGG. The State House Anti-Corruption Unit should be disbanded as its functions can be properly and lawfully executed by the IGG that is duly mandated to do so under our Constitution,” the lawyers report signed off by their president, Ms Pheona Nabasa Wall, read.
The report also called upon President Museveni to desist from making utterances that appear to encourage corruption and allow all suspects, including his most trusted, to be subjected to legal process.
In December 2018, President Museveni while at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala during celebrations to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day, revealed that he had appointed Col Edith Nakalema as the head of the Unit.
He said Col Nakalema would work alongside the IGG’s office and other government agencies such as the offices of the DPP, and the Auditor General.
Col Nakalema’s mandate was to receive reports directly from the public to sort out corruption tendencies.
But a section of Ugandans have also been critical of the unit, saying it is illegally constituted, costly and duplicates the work of the IGG.
Last week, President Museveni appointed Brig Henry Isoke to replace Col Nakalema.
Col Nakalema has since been sent for a one-year training course at the newly established National Defence College in Jinja.
The newly-appointed acting Justice minister, Mr Muruli Mukasa, who graced the event, applauded the lawyers for releasing the report.
“The report has come at the right time as we begin the new year. The issues will be given focus in the course of the year,” he said.
Unit achievements
About 146 people have been charged before court of whom 120 are public officers currently on interdiction and 26 private companies or individuals. Of these, at least 14 have been convicted while other cases are pending in court. A total of Shs1.73b has since been recovered, with Shs1b being recovered from labour export companies that had taken money from desperate youth with the promise of securing them jobs abroad.
