A total of 61,570 public officers are set to face punishment for failing to declare their wealth to the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) by the April 30 deadline.
Section 4 of the Leadership Code Act requires leaders to declare their incomes, assets, and liabilities within three months after assuming office and thereafter every two years in March and Section 5 of the same law requires all public officers to declare within three months after assuming office and subsequently every five years.
According to IGG office some of the punishments for officers who failed to declare include fines, demotion, dismissal from office, vacation of office, and confiscation or forfeiture of illicitly acquired assets, gifts, or benefits to the government.
Addresing the media in Kampala IGG, Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Bitala, said that out of the 302,800 public officers registered on the Inspectorate of Government Online Declaration System (IG-ODS), only 241,230 successfully submitted their declarations, representing an 80 percent compliance rate.
“A total of 61,570 public officers failed to declare their incomes, assets, and liabilities therefore IGG will process cases for officers who didn’t declare their assets and refer them to the Leadership Code Tribunal for adjudication,” she stated.
On her role to keep public officers in check,Justice Aisha Batala Naluzze has confirmed receiving a petition from a group of lawyers and activists seeking a comprehensive investigation into Speaker Anita Annet Among over alleged breaches of the Leadership Code Act.
Naluzze said the Inspectorate has since launched investigations and will make its findings public upon completion. She also urged members of the public to continue reporting suspected cases of opulence and misconduct involving public officials.
On Wednesday, the group formally petitioned the IGG, calling for a probe into the outgoing Speaker over alleged failure to comply with provisions of the Leadership Code Act.
The petitioners accuse Among of failing to declare, or under-declaring, her wealth, assets and liabilities as required by law.
“We accordingly lodge this complaint regarding failure to declare and/or under-declaration of wealth by Among, and hereby request you, as provided for under Section 22 of the Leadership Code Act, to furnish us with her declaration, if any,” the petition reads in part.
Kato Tumusiime, one of the petitioners, said the group voluntarily lodged the complaint after forming the view that Among may have failed to fully declare her assets.
Public leaders in Uganda declare their source of wealth primarily to combat corruption, enforce accountability, and ensure that a leader’s accumulated assets align with their known sources of legitimate income. This transparency is a legal obligation designed to protect the public interest.
The mandatory declarations help the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) detect unexplained wealth.
“If an official’s riches exceed their legitimate income, it flags potential corruption, bribery, or abuse of office, which can result in the forfeiture of concealed assets,”Justice Aisha stressed.
According to IGG uganda loses up to 9trillion annually to corruption meanwhile globally, corruption costs an estimated $3.6 trillion annually in bribes and stolen funds, with an additional $1.6 trillion lost to money laundering.
