President Museveni has defended a new unit he created to sniff around and bark at the Taxman, citing extensive corruption within the revenue collection institution.
The the State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit, created last week, is part of a broader strategy to combat tax under-declaration and embezzlement of collected revenue, which the President says are significant impediments to development.
"There's under collection of taxes, there's massive stealing of what's collected," Mr Museveni, who was opening a seven-day Cabinet retreat at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi.
Critics argue that the new unit, headed by David Kalemera, may overlap with existing structures and could potentially lead to bureaucratic inefficiencies.
However, President Museveni remains resolute, underscoring the necessity of such measures to safeguard public funds.
Adding to his anti-corruption arsenal, Museveni has also announced that the Accountancy and Audit Unit is in the offing.
This new entity will focus on preventing the theft of public funds by ensuring thorough and transparent accounting practices across government departments.
The President's recent actions are not limited to the formation of new units. He has also been vocal about the parliament's handling of the national budget.
In a recent move, Museveni returned the budget to parliament, condemning the legislators for what he described as corrupt and selfish actions.
"The money diverted was selfishness. To do small road from nowhere to where in my constituency so they can know I am working very hard. But in so doing you undermine the money that would do very much," Museveni said.
He issued stern warning to public servants who fail to report corruption, citing an incident involving the Ministry of Energy, where the budget was allegedly cut due to corruption but went unreported.
The President has made it clear that such negligence will not be tolerated.
"If you hide corruption, you will be arrested for aiding and abetting crime. Why not report? We hope the judiciary does not grant bail for murder, treason, terrorism, rape, corruption, and village theft," he said.
