Museveni appoints tax fraud convict to monitor corruption at URA

President Yoweri Museveni has yet again created another unit to fight corruption this time at the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).

In a short statement released by the Presidential Press Unit (PPU), the unit is going to be under the State House.

“The President…has created the State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit to do an oversight on Uganda Revenue Authority operations and fight corruption within the tax administration system,” the statement reads in part. 

The statement adds that the creation of the unit will help the government close revenue leakages and boost tax collection. It adds that Museveni has also appointed David Kalemera as a senior presidential advisor and head of the unit.

Interestingly, Kalemera is a tax fraud convict who was in 2022 found guilty by the Anti-Corruption court of falsifying customs documents and effectively dismissed from URA in 2017. Kalemera was found guilty alongside Ian Paul Ssemanda and Ronald Kazibwe of knowingly using falsified commercial invoices and packing lists when they omitted some goods for purposes of tax. In his defence, Kalemera attributed his troubles at URA to stepping on the toes of his bosses at URA.

For example, Kalemera detailed before the Anti-Corruption court how he tried to enforce tax compliance against Sun Belt textiles to recover Shs 13.5 billion in taxes but ended up offending then commissioner of customs and now Sheema MP Dickson Kateshumbwa. He said when he ignored threats to drop the investigations, he ended up being charged with aiding dumping textiles on the Uganda market.

The creation of another anti-corruption unit adds to a litany of statutory and other units created to fight corruption among different government agencies. 

State House now has several such units such as the Anti-Corruption Unit headed by Brig Henry Isoke, State House Investor Protection Unit headed by Col Edith Nakalema, State House Health Monitoring Unit headed by Dr Warren Namanya among others. 

These join statutory anti-corruption units such as the Inspectorate of Government, the Auditor General, the Director of Public Prosecution, the Police Criminal Investigation Department, Anti-Corruption court among others.