IGG THREATENS TO PROSECUTE LEADERS OVER VIOLATION OF LEADERSHIP CODE ACT
By Dramadri Federick
Arua City
The inspectorate of government has threatened to prosecute local leaders who fail to declare their wealth in accordance with the constitution of Uganda.
The Leadership Code Act 2017 as amended was to check public officers, set limits on the financial behavior of public servants and put in place enforcement mechanisms among other matters and the Act requires leaders to declare their incomes, assets and liabilities.
According to the deputy inspectorate of Government Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria, the IG during the just recently concluded declaration in 2023 was able to submit over 100 cases to the tribunal for prosecution due to noncompliance with the law.
“we’ve been able to send over 150 cases to the Leadership court tribunal but from those cases you realize that there’re offences for every breach like for non-declaration of incomes, assets and liabilities, false declarations by public officer the penalty is a fine not exceeding 200 currency points, a leader can be cautioned, can be demoted or even dismissed from offices.”
Some leaders we spoke to who refused to be recorded over the matter due to its sensitivity explain that the disclosure is an entry into their personal private life which should have not been a mandatory requirement hence they ignore filling the forms.
Government of Uganda through the IGs online portal created avenues for the public servants and leaders to declare their assets, incomes and liabilities, a move to curtail corruption.
Dr. Patricia says there’re though measures shall follow for legal breaches. “There’re people who do anticipatory declaration I don’t know what for, you find that the law has got sanctions for breach of this code.”
The inspectorate of government in 2017 commenced enforcement of the Leadership Code Act 2017 as amended and country conducts declarations by leaders after every 2 years and this year’s declarations are scheduled for March and April under the theme Enhanced accountability through disclosure of wealth.
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