KAMPALA: The Inspector General of Government (IGG) Hon. Betty Kamya Tulyomwe has tasked all public officials in Uganda to declare their wealth by March 31st 2023.
While Addressing the Media on Tuesday at the country’s media Center in Kampala, IGG Betty Kamya said all public officials are required to declare their wealth from March 1st to 31st or else they face serious penalties. She said officers should use the online declaration system which was launched by government years ago to ease declaration of wealth for all public officials who would initially spend long hours in long queues at the Inspectorate’s headquarters in a dash to declare their wealth in a manual process.
Public officials are required under the Leadership Code Act to declare their wealth by submitting a written declaration to the Inspectorate of Government every two years, indicating, among others, the names, income, assets and liabilities of their spouse, children and dependents and how they acquired them.
In 2021, Parliament passed the Leadership Code (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which turned into an Act that imposes punitive measures on leaders and public officers who do not declare their wealth or who make false declarations.
The Act requires a public officer to, within three months of starting work in the public service, declare his or her assets, incomes and liabilities to the Inspector General of Government (IGG).
It also penalizes a leader who does not, without justifiable cause, comply with the request within 60 days to a warning or caution, dismissal or vacation of office.
IGG Betty Kamya said whoever fails to declare wealth is liable of a punishment to vacate public office for a period of 10 years.
A person who does not file a declaration is liable to a fine not exceeding 20 currency points per month for the initial three months of non-submission of a declaration. The currency points rise to 40 per month for the next two months and then withholding of emoluments.
Some of the penalties for breach of the Code, include forfeiture of the monetary equivalent of the excess or undeclared property to the government where a person makes false declarations.
In January 2006, Hon. John Ken Lukyamuzi who represented Lubaga South Constituency in Uganda’s parliament from 2001 was kicked out of parliament due to his failure to declare personal assets, as required by law
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