Salim Saleh, Tumukunde yet to declare wealth

Nov 21, 2002

LT. Gen. Salim Saleh, Brig. Henry Tumukunde and two other senior army officers are among nine MPs who risk losing their parliamentary seats next month if they do not declare their wealth by December 5

LT. Gen. Salim Saleh, Brig. Henry Tumukunde and two other senior army officers are among nine MPs who risk losing their parliamentary seats next month if they do not declare their wealth by December 5, reports Felix Osike.

They may become the first leaders to face punitive action since the Leadership Code Act came into force in July.

Tumukunde is the director general of Internal Security Organisation.

The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Jotham Tumwesigye, said if they do not declare their income, assets and liabilities by that date, they will be dismissed from Parliament. The earlier deadline was November 12.

Tumwesigye said yesterday he had written to the MPs, asking them to explain why they failed to declare their wealth in time.

“If they fail to provide justifiable cause, they will be dismissed from Parliament as the law provides,” he said.

Also yet to declare their assets are military intelligence chief Col. Noble Mayombo and the deputy director of the Internal Security Organisation, Col. Elly Kayanja, who is on training abroad. The others are Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) activist Cecilia Ogwal (Lira municipality), former Makerere University secretary Avitus Tibarimbasa (Ndorwa East), Charles Koluo (Serere), Herbert Lwanga (Bukoto South) and workers representative Dr. Sam Lyomoki.

The law requires leaders, within three months after the Act took effect and in March of every other two years, to submit to the IGG a written declaration of income, assets and liabilities.

It says failure to comply with the law, is ground for an MP to vacate their seat. Tumwesigye said presidential advisors had also defied the law.

“I have not received a good response from the presidential advisers. We have given them two weeks to give a justification for failure to submit their statements,” he said.

Tumwesigye said President Yoweri Museveni, Vice-president Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki, the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi, all judges and permanent secretaries are among the high-ranking government officials who have complied with the new law.

The leaders are also supposed to declare the names, income, assets and liabilities of their spouses, children and dependants stating how it was acquired.

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