More than 200 URA Staff Transferred

Just a month after four of its senior officials resigned from office, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has reshuffled 211 staff under its customs department.

According to a memo from Abel Kagumire, the commissioner for customs, 211 employees will have different positions within the department effective Wednesday, July 1.

“Manager customs planning is tasked to facilitate this smooth deployment process before July 1, 2020,” the memo reads in part.

Among those transferred are managers, supervisors and customs officers.

The customs department was previously headed by Dicksons Kateshumbwa for five years. Kateshumbwa has since resigned from URA to contest in the forthcoming 2021 parliamentary elections.“We normally transfer our staff, it is a normal transfer. We always transfer people, especially at the turn of a new financial year. We do it to allow them to acquire different positions and skills. Secondly, all staff have to be given exposure to different conditions,” URA’s mouthpiece Seruma said.

“We are going to transfer the entire organisation actually. All departments are going to face transfer. It has nothing to do with Mr Kateshumbwa,” Seruma added.

While addressing the nation after the 2020/2021 Budget reading, President Museveni noted that he had now cleaned the corruption problem at URA.

Referring to the commissioners as a crowd, the President said the group was stealing instead of serving the people.

“There has been a lot of corruption in URA. That one I have cleaned. We’re begging, begging as if they are doing us a favour instead of working for their country. Those young people who were given a great opportunity to serve their country, they were busy doing other things. So we have dispersed them, that URA crowd,” Museveni said.

Moses Kayigwa