The Inspectorate of Government has announced that 80% of public officers in Uganda complied with the mandatory declaration of income, assets and liabilities during the April 2026 exercise.
In a press conference at uganda media center the Inspectorate said a total of 241,230 public officers successfully submitted their declarations through the Inspectorate of Government Online Declaration System (IG-ODS), out of 302,800 officers registered on the system.According to the statement, 61,570 officers failed to submit their declarations within the required period.
The declaration exercise, which commenced on April 1 and ended on April 30, 2026, is conducted under the Leadership Code Act Cap 33, which requires public officers to periodically declare their income, assets and liabilities to promote accountability and fight corruption.
The Inspectorate explained that the law was amended in 2017 and 2021 to strengthen enforcement mechanisms, including the creation of the Leadership Code Tribunal and the inclusion of all public officers in the declaration process.
The IGG noted that the 2026 compliance rate marked an improvement from the initial declaration exercise conducted in April 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown, where compliance stood at 75%.
To improve participation this year, the Inspectorate said it implemented several measures, including harmonising data with the Ministry of Public Service, appointing focal persons and IT support officials in ministries and local governments, deploying graduate interns in regional offices, and conducting nationwide sensitisation campaigns through television, radio and social media platforms.
The Inspectorate also carried out field outreach programs in the West Nile and Kigezi regions to address concerns and misconceptions among public officers regarding the declaration process.
Despite the improved compliance levels, the Inspectorate warned that officers who failed to declare risk facing sanctions under the law, including fines, demotion, dismissal from office, confiscation of illicitly acquired assets, and forfeiture of benefits to government.
The IGG further revealed that cases involving non-compliant officers will be processed and referred to the Leadership Code Tribunal for adjudication.
As part of future enforcement efforts, the Inspectorate said it plans to intensify verification of declarations using electronic verification tools to identify high-risk public officers for further scrutiny.
The Inspectorate also disclosed that discussions are ongoing with the Head of Public Service to amend standing orders and make declaration of income, assets and liabilities compulsory for anyone seeking employment in the public service.
Officials encouraged public officers to declare early in future exercises to minimise congestion on the online system and improve efficiency in the declaration process.
