A brief look into the IGG first report of 2018 with Lira District in FOCUS!

The Inspector General of Government (IGG) Irene Mulyagonja has recently published a new report, showing the corruption and the reported cases that has been sent to the IGG during the 6 month period. This report shows the key places where the complaints are about, which shows what kind of civil servants that has cases going or investigated. There also a major showdown of certain districts, which gets the most heat in this report. Clearly, they are picked up and shown the public, while others are kept in the archives. So I am showing the key aspects of where the complaints go and one key district that has been put on blast. That being Lira District, who together with others was also put on display. What is weird about that is the office of Lira is number 15 on the list of getting complaints. While the Central District and Kampala Headquarters has bigger numbers, but is not chosen to revealed for the public. Only district offices with less numbers are Kampala Regional Office (because all are delivered to Headquarter) and Gulu district office. So this been choice by the IGG to show their cases instead of the ones around the Central Government. That is how it can be perceived!

The Inspector General Report are clearly stating that the most common groups of people, which is mentioned in complaints are either directly individuals (public officials), District Administration/Local Government, Municipal & Town Councils, Head Teachers, District Service Commissions and sub county administration. In the time between January and June 2017, there was 330 complaints about Public Officials. Complaints about District Administration was 328. Municipal & Town Councils complaints was 144. The complaints concerning Head Teachers was 87. The District Service Commissions was 85 and sub county Administration complaints totaled to 68. This here is really showing where the state officials locally are misusing the public funds. It shows a warning sign of how people take advantage of the lack of paperwork and archives of procurement and also facilitation of the state reserves. That is why they could do this before the complaints come to the IGG.

IGG cases in Lira:

“Alleged cause of financial loss by Principal Assistant Secretary, Lira District” (…) “Alleged mismanagement of Shs. 15,000,000/= meant for road maintenance by officials of Ojwina Division Council, Lira” (…) “Allegation of nonpayment of wages to former support staff by Lira Municipal Council” (…) “Report on investigations into alleged payments of salaries to ghost teachers and illegal appointments of Head teachers in Lira District Local Government” (…) “Alleged irregular remittance of Shs. 10M to Mr. Ario Benson’s account and subsequent deletion from the payroll by PPO, Lira” (…) “Alleged creation and existence of ghost primary school in Aloi Sub-county, Lira District” (…) “Alleged misappropriation of UGX. 9,000,000/= meant for the construction of roads in Adekokwok Sub-County Lira District” (…) “Alleged utterance of false academic documents by a Secretary at UTC – Lira” (…) “Alleged irregular earning of higher salary by a person at Lira school of Nursing” (…) “Alleged cause of financial loss by the Principal Assistant Secretary, Lira District” (IGG, P: 77-80, 2018).

I am just showing the alleged cases in Lira as well, as the main reports, since the Report itself should be question for lacking the alleged cases from Kampala Headquarters and Jinja Offices. It shown some cases from Arua, but very limited, since it was the third biggest place of complaints during the 6 month period. While other regions and districts had more open cases. I am really questioning why Lira was so in FOCUS, when the offices of Jinja, Headquarters and Arua had ten times more complaints than Lira did. Why are they not more evident in the report? What is the reason?

That is what we should ask and why the IGG are not revealing those complaint or keeping them on the low. Peace.

Reference:

Inspectorate of Government (IGG) – ‘BI-ANNUAL INSPECTORATE OF GOVERNMENT

PERFORMANCE REPORT TO PARLIAMENT – January to June 2017’ (January 2018)

The Proposed changes and added amendments on the Election laws that can be seen as preparation for the Election in 2016 in Uganda.

On the 25^th September 2015 three amendments will be read for the parliament. These Amendments are the President Elections Amendment Bill of 2015, Parliamentary Elections Amendment Bill of 2015 and the Electoral Commission Amendment Bill of 2015. They are all interconnected and will be a part of the preparations to the election that is happening in 2016.  All the Amendments comes from the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Hon. Fredrick Ruhindi

The Main parts of the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Bill of 2015:

Parts of the bill with revise the requirement for a candidate to campaign in every district in Uganda and to stop the polling stations at 4:00PM on the polling day. Another main part of the bill is that nominations fee for the candidate will go from Shs. 8Million/= to the the new fee of Shs. 20Million/=.

The first issue with the candidate is that with the surge of districts make it difficult for a candidate to be in all the new districts before the polling day while campaigning. The second one is for fitting the economic environment that is different than in 2005.  The third issue is that the polling time is set from 5:00PM to 4:00PM to give the Electoral Commission more time to count the votes.

And a new amendment to proof the voter’s identity:

“a fourth table located at least ten meters from the ballot boxes where every voter, after deposing the ballot paper into the ballot box, shall proceed and the thumb or other finger on the voter’s right hand determined by the commission marked with or applied with inedible ink as one indicators that the voter has cast the ballot”.

The Main parts of the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill of 2015:

First part of the bill is to get four representatives of persons with disabilities to be elected by Electoral Colleges Constituted in accordance to the four traditional districts: Central, Eastern, Northern and Western regions. The second part of the bill is on the nomination fee for the candidate will go from Shs. 200k/= to new fee of Shs. 1Million/=.

The Main parts of the Electoral Commission (Amendment) Bill of 2015:

First part of new amendment is: “The commission shall, not later then two weeks before polling day, transmit to every political party and organization and independent candidate taking part in the election, an electronic text based copy of each voters’ register which the commission shall use on polling day”.

Second part is that the Commission has to employ one a District Election Administrator and an Assistant Election Administration. The District Election Administrator has the supervision, is in charge and custody of the voters’ in the district, and also seeing through the manner of the voters registers. Important character that the Administrator need is integrity, high moral and also “a person taken to have behaved in a corrupt manner in relation to his or her duties if he or she commits any act of dishonesty in connection with his or her duties, whether or not it constitutes a criminal offence”.

Third part is: “the Commission shall, before the display of the copy of the voters’ roll publish in the Gazette and in the print media, a list of all the places at which a voters’ roll is required to be displayed under this section”.

Aftermath:

The Presidential Candidate first gets more expensive to pay the nominee fee as a candidate it goes up Shs. 12Million from the 2005 to the total of Shs. 20Million and was at 2005 set to be Shs. 8Million. Everybody understands that’s a viable and big fee change and the argument is for the economic climate that has changed since 2005. If the value of the shilling has devalued that much in about ten year period that the candidate must pay over double of the fee, then the economic system has server issues.

The Second change is the time that is set from 5:00PM to 4:00PM on the polling station at the Election Day to give more time for counting. I am sure that this will be more of a statuary fix. The counting will have enormous ability to be manipulated after the votes are cast. The time set or fixed times is just an small tweak.

The third change in the Election laws are the thumb print that each voter has to get before casting the ballot. This will be sign of ink on the thumb proving that the voter has cast his or hers ballot. It’s a nice fix especially thinking about how the reports was a last election that people and military personal was bussed between voting stations to vote multiple times. With the ink on the finger it should be harder to dupe this one and the officials should easily see the print of ink on the thumb if a person tries to vote twice.

Fourth change is that a nomination fee for representatives for the disability goes up to Shs. 1Millon. There will also be four representatives one each representative from traditional districts: Central, Western, Northern and Eastern. This is in general a nice gesture to the community with applying that the Parliament gets people with special needs to the Parliament from now on.

Fifth change is that each political parties and independent should at least receive the voters register before two weeks before the polling day.  This is good thing to give them time to see the registers and check it. Might even give feedback to the Electoral Commission on shortfalls for the registration of voters in districts and municipalities that is necessary, though two weeks are little, if the registers are big who would have the capacity to oversee and scrutinize the register?

Sixth change is the additional new staff each district need. The new staff by the law is now District Election Administrator and Assistant Election Administrator who will look over the Polling and Election in the District. The person who will be hired has to have a moral compass, integrity and not act in a corrupt manner. All of the ones that are put into law are not exceptional this is what they should be as members of society and also professional people delivering and serving their nation and government so that the citizens can be sure of a valid result. A result and poll that is efficient and following procedure so that the tally can be justified and also being correct. Because if the Election Administrator doing their job and picking the right people, not letting the Electoral Commission having ability to trick the numbers or anybody else. Then the ballots and elections would be less rigged and actual have trustworthy people doing their jobs. If not, this is just a nice on paper and we still see the same issues in the Districts and clear the ballots for a free and fair election in 2016.

Seventh change is the publication in the Gazette or in print media. Where the Voters roll will be published, that is just a good thing. And proving to the public that the results getting official and can be explained. That should have already been there and is basic of official and public order, with this the Electoral Commission proves that it does it actual job in the election.

This all should be seen as interesting and see if this get voted in. If this gets official law it will have some effect on certain aspects on the coming election and the later by-elections as well. Since the signs of the public and local display will be visual with the thumb print and the District Electoral Administrator getting a vital role in procedures of the polling. Also the establishment of higher nomination fees for Presidential Candidates and also Special Disability representative which is total 4 representative one from each traditional regions. That is a great sign of all of the laws.

I don’t want to write for the third time what the laws says, but the issue is that it’s really patchwork and also quick fixes. If they will play big in the election is time to tell. And see if the next Commonwealth Report of 2016 will be as harsh as it was on Presidential Election in 2011. Peace.

Uganda – Amendments to the ‘Anti-Corruption Bill 2013’ – Important changes to the existing law

It’s a proposed new amendment ‘Anti-Corruption Bill 2013’ that is dated back to 13^th July of 2013. I will take the basic understanding of how the bill will be and what it can do if it gets into effect. The person behind this bill is Hon. John Ssimbwa who is MP of Makindye Division East. On the 7th of July 2015 this got passed in Parliament!

The important issues from the Memorandum:

First part is that is an extension and amendment of the ‘Anti-Corruption Bill 2009’. One of the main objectives of the bill is that the property of the offender the government can confiscate that from that legal person. That property will be controlled by the government and management by the public trustee appointment by the Minister in accordance with the Public Trust Act. One defect with the existing law is how to prove that set property was earned by the corrupt actions or indirectly by it. Because of this there is the reason for the amendment to the existing law.

Second part is how you define “property” and “political leader” which will entail more and describe broader in the new law after the amendment. In the new one the “political leader will be broaden the scope of the offence that caused the financial lost. Also figuring in “a company” to prove there are two “actors” in the actions of embezzlement, graft or general corruption. One new clause is also to incorporate Inspector General of Government (IGG) to service the court. And give more power to the Dirctorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) and IGG which will together restrict the owner of the bank accounts of the accused person. New clause is also to the persons who refuse to comply or give information to Special Investigator; with failure to follow the recommendation of the police will be incriminated, because with existing law there isn’t any response to it for the government. If for certain that a person is convicted for corruption for mandatory confiscation of any property to the person. And also in the amendment the person who will lose his property after being convicted will pay the cost for the transfer of the actual property.

Important changes:
From Section 20 setting in: “A person employed by the government, a bank, a credit institution, an insurance company, a company, a public body or political leader, who in the performance of his and her duties, does any act knowing or having reason to believe that the act or omission will cause financial loss to the Government, bank, credit institution, insurance company, a company, or public body commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding three hundred and thirty six currency points or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding fourteen years or both”.

From Section 63A:

“

• Take possession and custody of any property under restraining or confiscation order:
• Manage any property in respect of which he or she has been appointed a public trustee: or
• Appoint the owner of the property to manage the property affected by a restraining order under the supervision of the Public Trustee:

(2) A Public Trustee appointed under this Act shall not be liable to any civil proceedings for any act done in good faith in the performance of his or her duty”.

From Section of 63B and G4A:

“The Minister shall make regulations for remuneration for the public trustee appointed under this act.” (…) “Where the court orders confiscation of property under section 64, the cost of enforcing the order shall be paid by convicted person”.

From the Section of 65:

“A Person is taken to have absconded if reasonable attempts to arrest the person under a warrant have been unsuccessful during the period of six months commencing on the day the warrant was issued, and the person shall taken to have absconded on the last day of that period”. 

Meeting between Public Trust Act and the Amendment of the Anti-Corruption Act:

What these amendments to the existing laws is focusing on the property of the convicted person and how it all will be transferred to a Trustee Fund. This fund will be in power of the Government with the Inspectorate of General of Government and Dictorate of Public Prosecution will be in charge of. In the end this leaves more funds and properties into the government that will transfers from convicted persons and companies to the Trustee Fund.

A matter remain on the ‘Public Trustee Act of 1937’ has some issues and therefore need to amendment to see what the government of Uganda need to recover the embezzled money and property. The law in general is setting the standard on how the trusts are set up.

First section: “The Minister, by notice in the Gazette, may appoint some fit and proper person to be public trustee for Uganda, and may in like manner appoint a deputy or deputies to assist him or her, and every deputy so appointed shall, subject to the control of the public trustee, be competent to discharge any of the duties and exercise any of the powers of the public trustee, and when discharging those duties, or exercising those powers, shall have the same privileges and be subject to the same liabilities as the public trustee”.

Third Section: “An agent shall, in all respects, act under the direction of the public trustee who shall not be answerable for any act or omission on the part of the agent which is not in conformity with the power or duty delegated by the public trustee or which shall not have happened by the public trustee’s own fault or neglect” (…) “An agent, other than an officer of the Government, shall find security to the satisfaction of the public trustee for the performance of his or her duties and may be remunerated either by salary or such fees as the Minister may from time to time by rule prescribe”.

Fourth Section: “The public trustee shall not accept any trust under any composition or scheme or arrangement for the benefit of creditors nor of any estate known or believed by him or her to be insolvent”.

Sixth section: “When the public trustee has been appointed trustee under any will, the executor of the will or the administrator of the estate concerned, after obtaining probate or letters of administration with will annexed, shall immediately notify the appointment to the public trustee in writing, and shall supply him or her with a certified copy of the will and of any trust instrument and other documents affecting the trust, and such particulars as to the nature and value of the trust property, and the liabilities, if any, attaching to such property or the holder of the property, and the names, ages and addresses of any beneficiaries under the trust, and such other information as the public trustee may consider desirable to obtain in any particular case”.

Seventh section: “If any property is subject to a trust, other than a trust which the public trustee is prohibited from accepting under the provisions of this Act, and there is no trustee within the limits of Uganda willing or capable to act in the trust, the court may on the application of any interested party or of the public trustee make an order for the appointment of the public trustee to be the trustee of such property; but where the application is not made by the public trustee, no such order shall be made without his or her consent”.

We can see the difference between the new law and the older Public Trustee Act of 1937 and the amendment on the Anti-Corruption Bill, which deals with the property of a felon and the consent part of transfer of the property. Especially when you see how it set limits on the government and how the applications of the public trustee where it specifically says in the Act of 1937: “no such order shall be made without his or her consent” while the Anti-Corruption Act Amendment says: “From Section 63A:

“

• Take possession and custody of any property under restraining or confiscation order:
• Manage any property in respect of which he or she has been appointed a public trustee: or
• Appoint the owner of the property to manage the property affected by a restraining order under the supervision of the Public Trustee:

(2) A Public Trustee appointed under this Act shall not be liable to any civil proceedings for any act done in good faith in the performance of his or her duty”.

From Section of 63B and G4A:

“The Minister shall make regulations for remuneration for the public trustee appointed under this act.” (…) “Where the court orders confiscation of property under section 64, the cost of enforcing the order shall be paid by convicted person”.

As you see this gives the state a possibility to order and confiscate of property from the convicted person and also get the payment for the transfer of the actual property. So if this comes to effect and can take possession of it or custody when the person is under restraining. The Public Trustee will be under the IGG and follow the orders of the DPP.  This gives more power then what they currently have. So that the Directorates and Public Prosecutor get more powers when they have apprehended a suspect and get either suspend their money in accounts and also transfer the property of the convicted person.

This means those people that will get a stronger punishment and that the Public Trusts will soar in Uganda, if the IGG does it jobs and get bigger cases through the courts. This means that the minister who is in charge and making the Public Trustee funds has to be sober and in-charge to keep up his conduct and the supervision of the fund after transferring the actual property and freezing of the accounts.

It would be interesting to see the implicated changes of the law and also how the minister and Inspectorate of General of Government has to be sure that the property and accounts are parts of the charge. If these extra charges will make a difference in Uganda, is only time to tell because the way it will be seen is the actual results and if it benefits the court systems. Secondly if the transfers of properties and accounts go well, then the Government might over time get vast amount of monies from different accounts and also grand properties if the functions and prosecutions of corrupt politicians, governments’ officials, civil servants and businessmen get caught. Therefore the Trustee Fund under the Minister will be a giant over time and also need more resources to have accountability over it. Something that is natural with the pending issues and convicted people that will be hurt by this law if this amendment will be a new reality in Uganda. Peace.

Reference:

Bill Supplement No. 3 – Bill No. 7: THE ANTI-CORRUPTION (AMENDMENT) BILL 2013 (13.07.2013) in Uganda Gazette No. 34. Volume CVI dated 5^th July 2013, UPPC, Entebbe Uganda Ordered by the Government.

THE PUBLIC TRUSTEE ACT of 1937 – Chapter 161