The Committee also learnt that the contracts of the remaining two Deputies are also close to expiry. According to Minister Lokodo, the contract of Deputy IGG George Bamugemereire expires in two weeks while that of Mariam Wangandya expires in four months.
Members of Parliament have expressed concern over the continued
absence of a substantive Inspector General of Government –IGG.
This was during a meeting between the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and Minister of State for Ethics & Integrity, Simon Lokodo who
had appeared to defend the proposed Leadership Code (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Jacob Oboth, the Committee Chairperson asked why the Minister had not proposed
names for a new IGG to the President. The office of the IGG fell vacant on July
5, 2020, following the expiry of the contract of Justice Irene Mulyagonja after
serving for eight years. She was immediately appointed to the Court of
Appeal.
The Committee also learnt that the contracts of the remaining two Deputies are
also close to expiry. According to Minister Lokodo, the contract of Deputy IGG
George Bamugemereire expires in two weeks while that of Mariam Wangandya
expires in four months.
Lokodo told MPs that he has already addressed President Yoweri Museveni about
the leadership gap at the Inspectorate of Government- IG.
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Oboth says that the absence of a substantive IGG has already
created a leadership gap at the Inspectorate of Government and expressed worry
of a crisis once the two deputies also leave the office.
He said that failure to make appointments in time causes some
paralysis in administration and ultimately the fight against corruption.
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For the past months, sections of the public have pushed for the
appointment of a new IGG as a sign of the government’s commitment to the fight
against Corruption.
Since Justice Mulyagonja left office, her two deputies
Bamugemereire and Wangadya remained in office amidst concerns that there are
certain things they can't do in the absence of the IGG.
The function, mandate and authority of the IG are provided for in Chapter 13 of
the Constitution. The Constitution provides that the IG shall
comprise of the IGG and two Deputies appointed by the President with the
approval of Parliament. It also states that one of the appointees shall be a
person qualified to be appointed a judge of the High Court.
In the absence of a substantive IGG, the two deputies in the office can't sign
charge sheets, which require the consent of the IGG and currently, all charge
sheets are forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) who has
powers to prosecute. The Inspectorate only carries out investigations and
submits the papers to the DPP for approval.
Early this month, Bamugemereire reported to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga
that even the Appointment Board of the IG, which is supposed to be chaired by
the IGG is dysfunctional. The entity, however, continues to carry out
investigations, analyse cases, issue reports, directives and orders.
Bamugemereire then said that although he and Wandadya are competent to run the
office, their hands are tired and it’s only the intervention of the legislature
through amendment of the law that can help. He recommended a need to amend the
law to eliminate the need to always have 3 members of the Inspectorate
including the IGG and the 2 Deputies for the Inspectorate to be deemed
constituted.
According to Bamugemereire, the current requirement under the law is not
realistic.
