Forensic Audit Report on Bank of Uganda Theft Sent to CID

The Bank of Uganda is the central bank of Uganda. Established in 1966, by Act of Parliament, the bank is wholly owned by the government but is not a government department (PHOTO/Courtesy).

KAMPALA, Uganda — The Auditor General’s forensic audit report on the alleged loss of 60 billion shillings from the Bank of Uganda has been forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for further investigation.

Speaker Anita Among sent the report to the CID after it was presented to Parliament by Government Chief Whip Denis Hamison Obua on Thursday. Among said she consulted with President Yoweri Museveni, and they decided to have the report investigated further.

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“The ingredients of the report are criminal in nature, and because of their criminality, we will direct this report to the CID for further management,” Among said.

Ndorwa County East MP Wilfred Niwagaba requested that the report be scrutinized by parliamentary committees before being sent to the CID.

“I thought that since this is part of the report of the Auditor General’s report, it would ordinarily be sent to the relevant committee of Parliament, then later it is debated and we decide whether to send it to the CID,” Niwagaba said.

Tororo North County MP Geofrey Ekanya also requested that the report be scrutinized by parliamentary committees.

However, Among declined their requests.

The Auditor General’s investigation was prompted by a request from Parliament on Nov. 28, 2024, after Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi raised concerns about the loss of funds from the Central Bank.

In November 2024, media reports stated that over 60 billion shillings had been lost from the Bank of Uganda after hackers accessed the treasury system. State Minister for Finance Henry Musasizi later confirmed that the Central Bank accounts had been hacked but said the lost amount was less than reported.

Bank of Uganda Deputy Governor Michael Atingi-Ego attributed the fraudulent transactions to a faulty order from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. He said the order led to two debt servicing payments being mistakenly paid to wrong beneficiaries in Japan.

Atingi-Ego added that the Bank of Uganda recovered $8.2 million of the stolen funds.