Kampala, Uganda: April 03, 2025 -Two government ministers and four Members of Parliament are facing potential prosecution after failing to declare their income, assets, and liabilities by the deadline of March 31st, 2025. This was revealed in a statement released today by the Inspectorate of Government (IG) regarding the performance of the March 2025 declaration exercise.
According to the IG, a total of 32,068 leaders were expected to submit their declarations, with 28,856 complying by the deadline, representing a 90% compliance rate. While the Inspector General of Government, Beti Kamya Turwomwe, commended the 34 entities that achieved a 100% declaration rate, she highlighted the poor performance of several entities, including Abim, Amuru, Kapelebyong Districts, Fortportal Regional Referral Hospital, and Masaka City, all registering below 50% compliance.
More significantly, the IG disclosed that two unnamed ministers and four Members of Parliament were among those who failed to meet their legal obligation. These leaders will now be summoned to provide explanations for their non-compliance. The statement further warned that if their explanations are deemed unsatisfactory, they could face prosecution at the Leadership Code Tribunal.
The Leadership Code Act mandates specified leaders to declare their income, assets, and liabilities to the Inspectorate of Government every two years in March, among other instances. This requirement is enshrined in the Constitution of Uganda and the Leadership Code Act, Cap 33. The IG emphasizes that declaration is a crucial measure to enhance transparency and accountability, ultimately mitigating corruption among leaders and public officers by enabling regular monitoring of their financial status.
The IG outlined the next steps, stating that the process of identifying all non-compliant leaders has commenced. Leaders from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies who fail to provide justifiable reasons for non-declaration will be submitted to the Leadership Code Tribunal by May 2025, while those from Local Governments will follow in June 2025. Prosecution at the Tribunal will proceed for those without valid excuses, in accordance with the Leadership Code Act.
Furthermore, the IG announced that electronic verification of all submitted declarations will be conducted to identify high-risk declarations, followed by physical verification and investigations of at least 200 flagged leaders. Those found culpable risk prosecution before the Leadership Code Tribunal or the Anti-Corruption Court.
The statement also listed various breaches under the Leadership Code Act, including failure to submit declarations, false declarations, late submissions, participation in prohibited contracts, misuse of official information, and abuse of public property, among others. Sanctions for these breaches range from cautions and warnings to fines, demotion, dismissal, vacation of office, and confiscation of illicitly acquired assets.
Despite the overall success of the declaration exercise, the IG noted persistent challenges such as leaders waiting until the last minute to declare and the failure of some leaders and institutions to provide necessary information for the process.
In conclusion, the Inspector General of Government expressed gratitude to various stakeholders for their contribution to the March 2025 declaration exercise and called upon the media and the general public to actively participate in enforcing the Leadership Code by reporting any suspicious incomes and assets of leaders to the IG for investigation. The declaration for all public officers is scheduled to take place from April 1st to 30th, 2026.
