Dr Patricia Achan, Gulu University Vice Chancellor Prof. George Openjuru Ladah and student’s leaders from Northern Uganda recently at Gulu University
By Simon Wokorach
Gulu: The Inspectorate of Government (IG) has initiated the process of disposing of assets recovered from corrupt public officials, in an effort to recover misappropriated public funds.
This move aligns with the Leadership Code Act, which provides for the recovery of assets and liabilities in cases where public officials fail to accurately declare their wealth.
According to Dr. Patricia Achan, Deputy Inspector General, the IG expects to recover over UGX 300 million through the sale of these assets. While she did not go into detail about the timeline or arrangement of the sales, she confirmed that the IG is currently reviewing assets held in government custody.
Among the assets set for disposal are buildings and land titles recovered from public officials who under-declared their wealth, as stipulated by the Leadership Code Act.
“Some of these properties have started to deteriorate and would require additional resources for maintenance,” Dr. Achan noted. “As the Inspectorate of Government, we’ve obtained properties from leaders who under-declared their wealth. It’s a challenge maintaining them, so we’re considering disposal to return the money to the consolidated fund.”
Recoveries excite IG
Despite ongoing challenges in combating corruption, Dr. Achan highlighted that the IG has had successful prosecutions, while in some cases, officials opted for plea bargains to facilitate the recovery of stolen funds.
“If I can recover that money and return it to the government, I believe I’ve done my part rather than prolonging matters in court,” she explained.
Records from the IG show an increase in compliance with wealth declaration requirements, rising from 85% in 2017 to 90% in 2023.
Under the Leadership Code Act (Cap 33), leaders are required to declare their wealth, assets, and liabilities every two years. The current declaration cycle, which began on March 1, 2025, concluded in March 31, 2025, with all leaders including the President and Cabinet Ministers complying.
At the Gulu Regional Office, Northern Uganda Regional Officer Nicolas Kaijura reported an 85% compliance rate with asset declarations in the region.
“We had aimed for 90% compliance, but there were some issues with the system. Nonetheless, we’ve had success stories, including recoveries of misappropriated funds,” Kaijura said.
Huge recoveries in Omoro
One such case involved officials from Omoro District, where UGX 75 million was recovered through litigation for violations of declaration guidelines during the 2023 review period.
Omoro District Engineer Santo Ojok Coopil was prosecuted for under-declaring his income and assets, breaching Sections 5 and 6(1) of the Leadership Code Act. A consent judgment delivered on September 5, 2024, by Leadership Tribunal member Dr. Joyce Nalugna Birimumaaso, found him guilty.
“The defendant shall pay 200 currency points in four installments as penalties,” the judgment stated. In total, the government recovered UGX 37 million from Coopil, paid into the consolidated fund under the asset recovery provision of the Act. His first installment of UGX 1 million was made by December 31, 2024, with the full payment scheduled to conclude by February 28, 2028.
In a separate ruling on November 5, 2024, the Deputy Chairperson of the Leadership Code Tribunal found Patrick Odoch, Assistant District Engineer of Omoro, guilty of a similar offense. His case led to the recovery of UGX 38 million, bringing the total from Omoro District to UGX 75 million.
While Uganda loses an estimated UGX 10 trillion annually to corruption, Dr. Achan reported that the IG has recovered approximately UGX 17 billion in the last two quarters of the current financial year.
According to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Uganda ranks 140th out of 180 countries globally in terms of corruption levels.
