MP Omara Criticises President Museveni’s Anti-Corruption Approach

Otuke County MP Paul Omara has criticized President Yoweri Kaguta for losing the battle against corruption.

Omara expressed his disappointment in the Fountain of Honour while appearing on NBS TV on Thursday morning.

Omara was particularly responding to the President’s decision to set up an agency to oversee operations of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). The State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit has a mission to fight corruption within the URA.

Last week, David Kalemera was appointed as a Senior Presidential Advisor and head of the unit. The government hopes to close revenue leakages and boost tax collections with this new unit.

The President has since responded to criticism by announcing plans to start another anti-corruption unit. However, Omara disagrees with the President’s decision because it’s a duplication of government entities. Omara says these agencies do not have the power to arrest suspects and instead move around with police officers. Additionally, Omara warned that these units are only addressing symptoms of corruption.

Omara advises a way forward

He advised that the right move would be to strengthen existing entities. He highlighted the Inspectorate General of Government, Police through the Criminal Investigations Directorate, and Auditor General as entities that should be beefed up. According to Omara, empowering these entities would do a better job than the powerless units.

He cited a common cry by the public about police that requires the citizenry to fuel cars in order for them to investigate a case.While still questioning the achievements of such units, he questioned the President’s thought process behind stopping the lifestyle audit. The audit had been suggested by IGG Beti Kamya as a way of making public servants accountable.

He noted that such decisions are blunders and give public servants the impression that their corruption is vindicated. Omara advised that the best remedy would be firing incompetent officers in these institutions instead of setting up new smaller agencies. He also warned that State House is being misused by wrong elements to support impunity.

The President has a number of monitoring units within the precincts of State House. These have all been widely criticized for overlapping functions of existing agencies such as the Inspectorate of Government.