Why Museveni disbanded State House Revenue Intelligence Unit

President Yoweri Museveni has disbanded the State House Revenue Intelligence Unit (SHRIU) and taken its operations back to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), New Vision has learnt.

The disbandment comes hardly six months after the President, in June last year, created the unit to check URA operations and fight corruption within the tax administration system.

The creation of the unit was meant to help the Government close revenue leakages and boost tax collection.

Its disbandment also comes in the wake of the January transfer of David Kalemera, the Senior Presidential Advisor, who was the head of the unit, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Security sources confirmed that part of the reason of the disbandment was the friction between SHRIU and URA over operations.

URA commissioner general John Musinguzi Rujooki last year welcomed the move to create the special unit, saying it was a complimentary effort by the government to fight graft.

The removal of its head also came in the wake of President Museveni receiving fresh information that its head, Kalemera, had been previously convicted in 2022 on charges of tax fraud and conspiracy.

“Yes, it is true that the President received a series of petitions on Kalemera who had been convicted in April 2022 by High Court Justice Lawrence Gidudu of orchestrating a sophisticated tax evasion scheme that cost the Government billions of shillings in revenue. The case exposed Kalemera, along with co-conspirators Ian Paul Ssemanda and Ronald Kazibwe, who used falsified customs documentation to evade taxes on goods cleared through Mombasa port,” a State House source said.

In his ruling, Justice Gidudu noted that the evidence clearly established that the accused’s actions were intentional and fraudulent, and that the prosecution had successfully demonstrated that Kalemera was the source of falsified invoices and packing lists used to misrepresent imported goods.

In an interview with New Vision, Kalemera downplayed his transfer and the disbandment of the unit.

“Who told you the unit has been disbanded? I cannot communicate anything to you and I have to follow the right channels. You go to State House and look at the units that are still in operations and who heads them,” Kalemera stated.