The sackings masked as resignations by top Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) commissioners including Dicksons Kateshumbwa are not by accident but rather a careful process to clean up the tax body.
The process started with a probe by the Internal Security Organization into the alleged syndicated corruption at the tax collection body.
The investigations, according top security sources pinned URA bosses including former Commissioner genral Doris Akol who was sacked in March and replaced by Mr John Musinguzi Rujoki who is now doing a clean-up job at the institution.
According to Sources familiar with the ongoing clean up job at URA, all commissioners who have been involved in syndicated corruption were supposed to lose their jobs at the time Doris Akol but President Yoweri Museveni took his time to verify ISO reports.
Subsequently, as day follows night, the commissioners were given an option to either resign or get sacked. They definitely chose the safer thing, to resign to avoid the bad tag of being ‘sacked’.
ISO Role
Since his appointment as the coordinator of internal security in the country in January 2017, Col Kaka Bagyenda has enhanced intelligence services in the country due to his experience in security. It should be remembered that Col Bagyenda used to coordinate intelligence in the Luwero bush war between 1981-1986.
Col Bagyenda has been able to expedite his duties with the help of younger IT gurus including Simon Peter Odongo who alongside his boss spearheaded the investigations into the corruption allegations at URA. Mr Odongo is currently languishing in jail after he was strangely by a combined force of CMI and SFC operatives. The violent arrest and detention of Odongo is aimed at discrediting ISO and the Director General – Col Bagyenda. However, this website understands that President Museveni is particularly concerned about the irregular arrest and shooting of Simon Odongo. The president is reportedly keenly following up these matters and is yet to pronounce himself.
Meanwhile, based on the ISO reports that were well corroborated, Gen Museveni ordered the sacking and replacement of those implicated.
On March 29th, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni sacked Doris Akol for failing to put the URA house in order regarding the corruption by top URA officers who were deemed untouchable.
It is therefore not surprising that within months in his new job, the new Commissioner General has started churning out those found by the ISO investigations to have been involved in corruption.
The Commissioner Domestic Taxes, Dicksons Collins Kateshumbwa; Assistant Commissioner, Large Taxpayer Office, Silajji Kanyesigye; Commissioner Tax Investigations, Henry Martin Saka and Sam Kahima, a Tax Auditor in the Domestic Tax Department are among those that have been forced out of the tax collection body. In a related development, Herbert Rusoke, the Commissioner Internal Audit and Compliance Department has been placed under investigation.
Confirming that he was forced to resign, Kateshumbwa clearly stated in his farewell message to URA staff.
“After more than 14 years of service in the authority I have decided to end my tour of duty ahead of my contractual period with immediate effect,” Kateshumbwa partly wrote in his message to his former workmates.