Fresh details emerging from State House now indicate that the anti-corruption unit led by Col. Edith Nakalema has finalized plans to thoroughly investigate and forward for prosecution if found liable the former URA officials who are at nucleus of the tax body’s graft scandal
Last Friday, four senior officials of URA unexpectedly resigned citing busy schedules.
However, it emerged the same officials were forced to hand in their resignations after a very heavy dossier placed them in numerous graft-related scandals that had plagued the tax body. URA board of directors led by Chairman Juma Kisaame who sat last week decided to give the named officials marching orders, albeit in a diplomatic way.
The four senior officials who were forcefully evicted included; Dickson Collins Kateshumbwa (who has since been replaced by Patrick Mukiibi as Commissioner Domestic Taxes), Henry Martin Saaka, Silagi Kanyesigye Baguma and Samuel Kahima.
It is said the Nakalema led team is now focusing its attention on these officials at the invitation of the new URA commissioner general John Musinguzi Rujoki who is executing an executive order.
Our highly placed State House has intimated to this website that the investigations into URA affairs kicked off last year after news got around to the Head of State that the tax body had been infiltrated by very corrupt but influential officials who were helping numerous affluent importers and businessmen in Kampala evade taxes in exchange for huge commissions.
This apparently riled the President who considered their acts disgraceful and unpatriotic since the nation is struggling with huge loans yet there was potential to raise enough taxes to self sustain the economy and service existing loans.
Investigations for example, the Head of State heard that the fired high ranking official had conspired with the tax body’s IT experts overseeing the automated system for customs and Data (ASYCUDA) to erase entries and made fraudulent under-declarations to protect the the affluent importers who evaded huge taxes.
In return, the clique including the senior officials would share the proceeds and help fast track the free entry of the imported goods making URA lose colossal sums of money from taxation.
In other instances, these same officials would carry out operations to net tax evading syndicates. The nabbed businessmen would then be forced to produce half of their estimated taxes which would then be handed over to the named officials rather than being deposited in the URA accounts.
All these very damning revelations reportedly annoyed the president who then ordered that investigations into URA activities be instituted and a report shared for action.
This website reached out to Dicksons Kateshumbwa who headed Customs before he was transferred to Domestic Taxes for a comment, but our repeated calls remained unanswered.
Efforts to reach the former Commissioner General Doris Akol who headed the institution at the time the said rot was at its peak remained futile.
Akol had earlier told a local Kampala Daily directing them to ask similar questions to new management since she was no longer in charge.
Mind-boggling wealth
The rot in URA activities could also set an unprecedented scenario in the history of Uganda if the sources close to the Presidency are to go by. The head of state had reportedly ordered that the wealth of all the named senior officials at the tax body be audited to match their earnings and if the lifestyle audit doesn’t match, their additional wealth be attached to recover all the money earned through fraudulent schemes.
For example, it is rumoured Dicksons Kateshumbwa allegedly owns numerous multi-billion properties strewn across the country including a 5-million-dollar Gorilla Heights Lodge inside Bwindi Gorilla Park.
Kateshumbwa reportedly earned a monthly gross pay of 15 million bringing his total annual earnings to 180m. It is then estimated that his 14 year should have earned him not more than 2b shillings which is not even half of the investment into his Gorilla Heights Lodge. These shocking revelations could be the same reason the President has ordered that these officials wealth be investigated and attached.
Museveni was further told, Kateshumbwa even with the enormous wealth, was still below par compared to other officials who reportedly had nearly double his named wealth. The source added, “Kateshumbwa wasn’t as wealthy as his colleagues. The others had amassed so much wealth compared to him”.
The findings into the dealings of the sacked senior officials are the reason the President has ordered the Nakalema team to exclusively investigate and make a report with findings for further action.
Col, Nakalema could be reached as her known mobile phone number was diverted to the Unit’s call center.
