By Fred Kiva
State House Anti-corruption Unit (SH-ACU) has received a total of 58,415 cases since it's creation on 10th December 2018, government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo has said.
Opondo was addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre on Wednesday. He said 8,022 of these cases have been concluded, 4,017 are under investigation while 35,280 have been referred to relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies for administrative management.
“These are non-corruption/non-fraud related complaints or they are corruption-related but are already under investigation by other agencies,” Opondo explained adding that most of the referred complaints relate to among others; land compensations, court delays, already under investigation by IGG or Police, welfare inquiries, presidential pledges and disputes between private individuals.
“After referral, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit continues to coordinate with the relevant agency to make sure that the complaint is handled and the complainant updated,” he said. On December 10, 2018, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni launched the new anti-corruption unit under his Office. The unit headed by Lt Col. Edith Nakalema was tasked to receive and act on complaints related to corruption.
The Unit was equipped with telephone and text messaging platforms to enable whistleblowers to pass on corruption-related information anonymously. Callers use toll-free hotline 0800202500 to report cases of corruption to the Unit.
Meanwhile, according to Opondo, 93 persons reported to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit have so far been charged in courts of law.
The suspects include 82 public officials and 11 private individuals. Of the 82 public officials; three are Bank of Uganda staff, a total of 10 are from Ministry of Lands, DPP, and URA, while 18 are from commissions, boards, and statutory authorities, which among others include; Uganda Human Rights Commission, Equal Opportunities Commission, and National Gaming and Lotteries Board.
The government spokesperson says all the implicated officials have since been interdicted.
