Government has proposed in the Leadership Code Amendment Bill 2020 that all public servants at all levels declare their wealth to the Inspector General of Government (IGG) as it has been with political leaders.
While presenting the amendments to the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee chaired by Jacob Oboth Oboth, Father Simon Lokodo, the minister of state for Ethics and Integrity said that this proposal is intended to widen the net of corrupt government officials at all levels.
Lokodo said that the leadership Act should not only apply to political leaders but also public officers, adding that the public officers will be disciplined under the proposed law .
The bill also wants section 10 and 11 of the leadership code 2002 amended so that provisions regarding gifts and donations of the public officers be captured to enable the government catch public officers who steal public funds .
Lokodo also asked parliament to accept the amendment in the leadership code to increase the period within the IGG may under take a verification of a declaration from 60 days to 90 days to effectively handle the declarations.
Introduced in 1992, the Leadership Code Act last amended in 2017 by parliament sets limits on the financial behavior of public servants, require leaders to declare their incomes, assets and liabilities and put in place enforcement mechanism and other matters.
Credit: businessfocus.co.ug
