IGG, Speaker declare wealth to each other

Mar 03, 2015

Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga and Inspector General of Government, Irene Mulyagonja, have declared wealth to each other in conformity with the Leadership Code Act.

By Moses Walubiri

Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga and Inspector General of Government, Irene Mulyagonja, have declared wealth to each other in conformity with the Leadership Code Act.


According to section 37 of the Leadership Code Act, the holders of the two offices are mandated to declare their assets and liabilities as part of efforts to forestall the specter of primitive fraudulent accumulation of wealth by individuals that have access to public resources by virtue of their offices.

In company of her two deputies – George Bamugemereire and Mariam Wangadya – Mulyagonja earlier today handed Kadaga forms highlighting her assets and liabilities.

Mulyagonja decried failure by the executive to institute a leadership code tribunal to handle cases emanating from failure to declare assets and liabilities, conceding that the inspectorate is "toothless without it."

Asked why the vice of corruption and fraudulent accumulation of wealth are continuing despite the despite the existence of the ombudsman's office, Mulyagonja highlighted a number of "cracks" that the current legal and financial reality cannot close.

"One of the biggest problems we have right now is unregistered interest in land and the ability of individuals to buy shares in companies in the names of relatives outside the ambit of the leadership code. It becomes hard to know who owns which property," Mulyagonja said.

Kadaga too handed Mulyagonja her asset and liability declaration forms, indicating that she has no property abroad.
"I have acquired my assets basically from salary as a legislator. I have no property abroad," Kadaga said, revealing that she has three personal cars and loan obligations from DFCU bank and parliamentary saving cooperative.

"By declaring wealth openly, we hope that the culture of transparency and openness will become cherished among leaders," Kadaga said.

Kadaga has spent a considerable chunk of her adult life in public office, having held different ministerial dockets, besides representing Kamuli district as a woman MP for close to 20 years.

 

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