URA officials dismissed from COSASE meeting due to inconsistent responses

Officials from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) were dismissed from a meeting with the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE) for their failure to provide consistent responses to queries.

The meeting, held on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, focused on the Auditor General’s report regarding URA’s financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.

Chairperson of COSASE, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, expressed frustration with the URA officials’ inconsistent statements and promptly dismissed them, instructing them to return with accurate information.

The dismissal occurred amidst COSASE’s examination of irregularities in the authority’s land procurement process, which included instances of direct procurement without proper approvals, land acquisition without funding confirmation, and failure to obtain required clearances from the Attorney General.

According to the report, between 2018 and 2022, URA acquired 1.563 hectares of land at a cost of Shs443.9 million through direct procurement, violating the provisions of the PPDA Act, 2003. An additional 0.847 hectares of land was purchased for Shs177.98 million without funding confirmation, contravening Section 59(2) of the same Act. Furthermore, a 0.716-hectare piece of land was acquired for Shs265.96 million without obtaining necessary clearance from the Attorney General, as mandated by the Constitution of Uganda.

During the meeting, Commissioner for Corporate Services, Richard Karisa, provided details of the land purchases. However, discrepancies arose when Kasilo County Member of Parliament, Hon. Elijah Okupa, pointed out conflicting information regarding the size and price of the acquired land. The confusion led to Karisa providing inconsistent figures and failing to provide clarity despite repeated requests.

Hon Ssenyonyi criticized the URA team for their lack of organization and inconsistent figures, stressing that their responses were confusing the committee. Consequently, he dismissed the URA officials, instructing them to return the following day with organized and accurate information.