President Museveni’s anger that prompted him to direct a wide-ranging purge targeting URA top officials was sparked by intelligence reports revealing how one of the targeted managers had grown so big to the extent of using their position to make Shs400m peer week. Sources Gen Museveni was shocked this had been happening without anyone at the Finance Ministry (that supervises URA) detecting the same.
It was then that Gen Museveni directed sweeping changes in the top hierarchy of URA where not only Dickson Collins Kateshumbwa is to leave paving way for new top leadership to be recruited. Reliable sources tell that Gen Museveni doesn’t only want heads to roll but also wants criminal prosecution of some officials over alleged improper conduct while occupying office at the Nakawa-based entity.
Some of the other officials to be equally affected include Herbert Rusoke who is Commissioner Audit and Compliance. Others include Commissioner Henry Martin Saka. Reliable sources close to the purging process say that Gen Museveni is keenly interested in knowing the extent to which deliberate sabotage by some URA officials was responsible for his sharp tax-related disagreements with Total bosses resulting into the latter getting frustrated with the Uganda oil project. That the frustration Total endured could have been induced by desire to serve Chinese players’ interests. That the Total fiasco greatly embarrassed Gen Museveni among his western backers and the man from Rwakitura is determined to find someone (or a number of them) to severely reprimand.
Yet isn’t all about the not-so-very good news coming out of this situation. Multiple sources have described Assistant Commissioner Silaji Kanyesigye, who is in charge of Large Taxpayers, as one of those in whom Gen Museveni is keenly interested. A one Kahima is equally an endangered species. That in total, at least 15 Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners are being targeted for annihilation in the ongoing purge that has caused unprecedented panic at the Nakawa-based entity sending everyone into total silence as junior staffers reflect on the uncertainty that awaits them.
In a related development, long serving URA staffer Patrick Mukiibi (working with URA since leaving campus) has been designated as the new Commissioner Domestic Taxes (CDT), the very position Mr. Kateshumbwa has been holding until his resignation last night. Sources say the new URA CG John Musinguzi Rujogi could end up working with some of the old guard that worked in the old URA many years ago before they left to pursue other professional specialties.
That Gen Museveni considers some of these were very good cadres, serving at a time URA performance was at its best, and wants some of them recalled to be part of the new order he envisages at Nakawa. As of now, there are many high level meetings ongoing through the weekend to ensure the eventual exit of 15 other top officials is smoothened as much as possible to avoid hurting tax administration at a time Gen Museveni is anxious not to lose even a coin.
Credit: Mulengera News
