President Yoweri Museveni has established a new unit aimed at combating corruption within the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). The newly created State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit will oversee URA operations and address corruption in the tax administration system, according to a statement released by the Presidential Press Unit (PPU).
The statement highlights that the unit’s creation will help the government close revenue leakages and enhance tax collection. President Museveni has appointed David Kalemera as a senior presidential advisor and head of the unit.
Kalemera’s appointment is notable given his past conviction for tax fraud. In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Court found him guilty of falsifying customs documents, leading to his dismissal from URA in 2017. Kalemera, along with Ian Paul Ssemanda and Ronald Kazibwe, was convicted of using falsified commercial invoices and packing lists to evade taxes.
In his defense, Kalemera claimed his troubles at URA stemmed from enforcing tax compliance against powerful interests, including a case involving Shs 13.5 billion in taxes owed by Sun Belt Textiles, which allegedly angered then commissioner of customs and current Sheema MP, Dickson Kateshumbwa.
The creation of this unit adds to a growing number of anti-corruption bodies under the State House, including the Anti-Corruption Unit led by Brig Henry Isoke, the State House Investor Protection Unit headed by Col Edith Nakalema, and the State House Health Monitoring Unit led by Dr Warren Namanya.
These units join other statutory anti-corruption bodies such as the Inspectorate of Government, the Auditor General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Police Criminal Investigation Department, and the Anti-Corruption Court.
