In October 2024, the World Bank raised concerns regarding a delayed debt payment by the Government of Uganda, yet records from the Treasury reportedly indicated that all payments were up to date. Upon review, Treasury records reportedly showed no discrepancies, but further verification through SWIFT messages from the Bank of Uganda revealed that funds had been transmitted to an incorrect beneficiary. This confirmed occurrence of fraud.
Documents this publication has obtained indicate that upon this discovery, the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury, the Deputy Governor Bank of Uganda and the Accountant General met and agreed upon the following;
Bank of Uganda to engage correspondent banks and INTERPOL to recover the funds;
Conduct a forensic audit to establish how the fraud occurred;
Review internal controls and systems to prevent reoccurrence.
Following these developments, Bank of Uganda engaged PwC Uganda to conduct a forensic audit while the Office of the Auditor General and the Police IT department were tasked with conducting a forensic audit to uncover the root cause of the fraud.
However, months down the road, this publication is confident to report that widening corruption investigation has taken an unsettling turn amid allegations that influential individuals are being shielded from scrutiny due to their proximity to top leadership. Sources within the probe, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, claim that names of certain powerful suspects are being deliberately omitted from official investigative reports – and claims of them being close to Gen. Saleh and Gen. Muhoozi have continued to prop up. This is puzzling considering that Gen. Muhoozi (MK) is said to be an anti-corruption military leader.
The situation has raised alarm among investigating agencies, who argue that such interference not only undermines the rule of law but also weakens public trust in government institutions.
“If suspects are removed from the list simply because they are close to the President’s brother and son, it sets a dangerous precedent,” said a senior official from the security circles.
It still remains unclear if Gen. Muhoozi and Gen. Saleh are aware of these behind-the-scene moves by elements at the Police Criminal Investigations Directorate.
Therefore, as Uganda continues to battle systemic corruption, the integrity of this investigation may prove to be a litmus test of the government’s commitment to transparency and justice.
