The Inspector of Government (IGG), Beti Kamya, has announced that a new portal is being created where soldiers will declare their wealth through the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
This comes after President Museveni warned against open declaration of soldiers' wealth through the IG, citing national security concerns.
Kamya made this announcement while delivering the bi-annual reports of the Inspectorate of Government (IG) for the periods of January-June 2022, July-December 2022, and January-June 2023.
In fulfilling Article 231 (1) of the Constitution, which mandates the IGG to submit reports on the performance of its functions and recommendations for the efficient performance of public institutions at least once every six months, Kamya revealed that only Shs7.99 billion was recovered from corrupt officials between January 2022 and June 2023.
This is despite the entity's own report stating that Uganda loses about Shs10 trillion annually to corruption.
Despite the Inspectorate's underwhelming performance, Kamya urged Ugandans to take ownership of the fight against corruption, as it deprives them of the quality services they deserve.
Kamya also disclosed that out of the 32,605 public servants required to declare their wealth, only 26,541 complied, and investigations were conducted on the wealth of 311 servants.
"We are planning to create a portal, managed through CMI, where soldiers will declare their assets. This is not in conflict with current practices but takes into account other aspects of the country's administration. The President did not say that soldiers should not declare, but that they should declare through CMI," Kamya explained.
She emphasized that the Inspectorate is focused on mobilizing and empowering citizens to develop a positive mindset in the fight against corruption.
"In executing its mandate, the Inspectorate prioritizes prevention as the primary approach to eliminate corruption and promote adherence to the rule of law. This will be achieved by mobilizing citizens to wage war against corruption and empowering them to change their mindset towards this evil," stated Kamya.
Esther Afoyachan, the Commissioner of Parliament, who received the report on behalf of Speaker Among, urged the IGG to pay attention to the corruption occurring in the Parish Development Model (PDM).
She warned that unless this corruption is curbed, the goal of integrating subsistence farmers into the money economy may not be achieved.
"I urge you to take great interest in the PDM.A lot of money is being allocated to the PDM, but there is a lot of siphoning.The beneficiaries receive only a fraction of what should have reached them.I want you to focus on the PDM so that our people's lives improve," emphasised Afoyachan.
Afoyachan, who is also the Zombo District Woman Representative, received the 47th, 48th, and 49th bi-annual reports from the IGG, Beti Kamya, during a function held at the Speaker's boardroom on September 20, 2023.
"Reports of this nature are crucial for effective legislative oversight as they contain vital information on the operational performance and financial status of entities under the purview of the various Parliamentary Committees," she stated.
She added, "The effectiveness of legislative oversight is directly linked to the quantity and relevance of available information."
The Speaker commended the 11th Parliament for its commitment to ensuring timely consideration of annual and bi-annual reports from various public sector entities.
According to Transparency International, Uganda ranks 142 out of 180 countries in the global corruption perception index, only surpassing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at 166, while Burundi ranks 171 within the East African Community.
Rwanda ranks 54, Tanzania ranks 94, and Kenya ranks 123.
Kamya affirmed that the Inspectorate of Government will continue to intensify its efforts in monitoring and inspecting projects, investigating and prosecuting cases, and recovering proceeds of corruption.
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She highlighted that these efforts will be more efficient through the digitalisation of monitoring, reporting, and investigation systems.
"The IGG management has made the bold decision to embrace digitalisation.We are steadily migrating from analog to digital systems in the fight against corruption, and within the next two years, we hope to be approximately 90% digitized," Kamya disclosed.
In the last three reporting periods, the IGG registered a total of 3,504 complaints, concluded 1,528 corruption investigations, and recovered Shs7.99 billion out of the recommended Shs38.7 billion.
The IGG also prosecuted 92 individuals, resulting in 43 convictions.
The decline in the number of corruption investigations was attributed to staff restructuring and internal transfers as they learned new roles.
On the other hand, the increase in recoveries was attributed to the emphasis on retrieving stolen assets and the establishment of the IG Compliance Division, which monitors the implementation of IG recommendations.
