KAMPALA , UGANDA: The Inspectorate of Government (IG) has raided Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) offices, taking several documents, and computers among other items.
Several double cabins full of policemen and government vehicles arrived at the premises of UIA at 16:20 on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, before sealing off the entrance in Kololo, where they interrogated officials about different office management issues including accountability, corruption, and extortion of money from investors among other illegal under dealings.
This is after several investors petitioned President Museveni and the IG to institute an independent investigation and punish UIA Director General Robert Mukiza, and other staff of UIA accusing them of corruption and soliciting bribes to allocate them space in the industrial park among other management issues.
During the operation, detectives grilled Mr. Ahmed Busobozi, the finance director at UIA, a one Aidah, an Internal Auditor, and Mr. John K Bwambale, a store assistant among others.
A letter addressed to UIA staff, Mr. Mukiza revealed that the IGG had issued a search warrant, authorizing its staff and police officers to collect oral, electronic, and documentary evidence.
The documents listed for collection included approved budgets, work plans, accountability procurement files, meeting minutes, staff lists, personal files, fuel management records, and more, the Nile Post reported on Thursday, January 18, 2024.
Armed with the Inspectorate of Government search warrant, the IGG investigators went through the different books of accounts and other correspondences, asking for photocopies of most of the documents and other accounting procedural roles.
“We react to a complaint and our duty here is to try and gather facts and see whether there is a case,” one of the investigators said when asked what exactly they were searching for, referring the reporters to the IGG office for an official comment.
Mukiza is reported to have expressed the management’s confusion regarding the motive behind the investigation, as UIA had not been provided with a copy of the complaint but promised to cooperate.
“We have nothing to hide, and we will fully cooperate with the IGG in its investigations in accordance with the law,” Mukiza stated in the letter.
The IGG officials said that the IGG office has the mandate to walk into any office and search and there is no deadline with the search warrant as long as the investigation is still going on and the case is still open.