The Inspector General of Government (IGG) Hon. Beti Kamya Turwomwe has given all public servants in Uganda the task of declaring their assets by March 31st
Speaking to reporters at the media center in Kampala, IGG Beti Kamya said the staff and all government officials must declare their wealth from March 1st to 31st, 2023 or face severe penalties. He said officers should use the online wealth declaration system launched by the government years ago to facilitate wealth declaration for all government officials who would have to spend long hours in long queues at the headquarters of the wealth department to quickly declare their wealth ‘in the hands.
Public officials are required by the Leadership Act to declare their assets by filing a written declaration with the State Oversight Agency every two years, stating, among other things, the names, income, assets and liabilities of their spouses , children and dependents and their livelihoods.
In 2021, Parliament passed the Leadership (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which became a law that imposes penalties on leaders and government officials who do not declare their assets or make false declarations.
The law requires a civil servant, within three months of commencing employment in the public service, to declare his assets, income and liabilities to the Inspector General of Government (IGG).
and penalizes a public servant and leader who fails, without good cause, to comply with the request within 50 days
to warning or caution, dismissal or retirement from office.
The IGG says anyone who fails to declare assets is liable to leave public office for 10 years.
A civil servant who fails to file a written return is liable to a fine not exceeding 20 rupee marks per month for the first three months of non-filing. The currency tokens go up to Rs 40 per month for the next two months and then the discounts are withheld.
There are penalties for violating the Act, including the confiscation of money equivalent to excess or undeclared goods to the government where the person makes the false declaration.
In January 2007, Hon. John Ken Lukyamuzi who represented Lubaga South Constituency in the Ugandan parliament since 2001 was expelled from your 7th parliament for failing to declare personal assets, as required by law
By Dan mugula