In a determined effort to curb the annual multi-billion shillings lost in revenue collections due to corruption and inefficiencies within the tax system, President Yoweri Museveni has established a new anti-corruption unit named the State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit.
This unit is specifically tasked with overseeing operations at the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and combating corruption within its ranks.
"The creation of this unit aims to provide rigorous oversight of URA operations and root out corruption in the tax administration system," the Presidency announced on Friday.
This initiative is part of President Museveni's broader campaign to rationalize and merge several government agencies, a strategy he believes could save Uganda over Shs1 trillion annually.
On the same day, David Kalemera was appointed as the senior presidential advisor to head the new unit. Kalemera, a former URA employee from 2007 to 2016, has a controversial past. According to documents from the High Court's Anti-Corruption Division, he was charged and terminated in March 2017. Additionally, he was convicted on April 21, 2022, for conspiring to commit a felony related to customs corruption.
"The establishment of this unit will help the government close revenue leakages and enhance tax collection," stated the Presidency in a brief released on Friday.
This move comes as part of President Museveni's renewed fight against corruption, which he emphasized on June 13, 2024. The country faces significant challenges with graft, costing over Shs10 trillion annually, according to the Ombudsman.
