We sacked URA’s Kateshumbwa- top gov’t official finally speaks

By George Mangula

The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has seen changes in the senior management team since Covid-19 set in months ago, the latest to “resign” being the Commissioner Domestic Taxes Dicksons C Kateshumbwa.

However, the Permanent Secretary in the Finance Ministry and Secretary to the Treasury Keith Muhakanizi (in picture) on Saturday said the Kateshumbwa and the two others were indeed sacked and therefore did not resign on their own as portrayed by some of the local media and on social media platforms. “It was the board’s decision to the best of knowledge,” Muhakanizi said, when asked on national radio about the so-called resignations at URA.

On Friday Kateshumbwa told the world of his alleged resignation from URA after serving there for 14 years. “After 14 years of service. Coincidentally my tenure as WCO Council Chair ends in June hence no seeking re-election. Proud of the all round leadership service in Tax and Customs…no regrets.”

Kateshumbwa was unceremoniously sent home alongside Henry Saka, Commissioner Tax Investigations and Silaj Kanyesigye Assistant Commissioner large taxpayers office.

Sources say Kateshumbwa was asked to leave due to underperformance, although other sources  within URA say he was involved in scandals that made government lose billions of shillings in tax revenue.

For Saka, sources say his sacking was to do with rebuilding the agency’s image as at one time his name was in the media for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a married junior staff at URA. They add his performance was also unsatisfactory, forcing the URA board to dismiss him.

The sacking of the latest URA senior staff follows the dropping of the former Commissioner General Doris Akol in late March and was immediately replaced by Commissioner General, John R Musinguzi, who was the Chairman of the Board of NITA-Uganda but was also a presidential advisor.

Muhakanizi said URA has over the years collected less than expected taxes in relation to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He said taxe collections in Uganda dropped below 14 percent of GDP, which he said is far lower that some of the regional countries like Kenya whose tax collections stand at about 19 percent of GDP. He said tax collections should have been in the range of 15 percent to 16 percent of GDP. Tax collections have been going down since covid-19 attacked the country, with April statistics showing loss of Shs650 billion of the total revenue projected in that month.

But Ms Akol’s sacking in late March 2020 surprised many Ugandans since she had earlier on been praised for the good work at URA. When her contract was renewed in September 2018, the minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija praised her, sayingshe was doing a good job and would still do better. However, President Yoweri Museveni had always complained about laxity in tax collections before Akol was sacked.

Past URA CGs
In October 2014, Akol replaced the current executive director of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Allen Kagina who held the job for 10 years.

Edward Larbi Siaw, a Ghanaian, was the first to hold that job from 1991, when the URA started operations, until 1997 when Elly Rwakakooko, who had also served as the chairman of the defunct Uganda Commercial Bank (UCB), succeeded Siaw.

Stephen B. Akabway, a former chairman of the Electoral Commission and former deputy Commissioner General of the URA, served in acting capacity from 2000 until 2001 whe he was replaced by a Swedish national, the late Annebritt Aslund. URA has now seen seven CGs serve it and the public awaits the time when the current CG Musinguzi will go.