Head of new State House Revenue unit David Kalemera speaks out

The Head of the newly established State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit, Mr David Kalemera, has vowed to promote transparency within Uganda’s tax administration system.

Kalemera was on Friday appointed to the position by President Museveni. Kalemera said  he is  “deeply honoured” to have been appointed to the position.

“This new role comes with great responsibility and I am committed to overseeing  URA  operations and fighting corruption within our tax administration system. Together, we will work to close revenue leakages and boost tax collection for the betterment of our nation,” he said.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to H.E Kaguta Museveni for his trust and confidence in me. I also want to thank all of you for your continued support and encouragement.  Let’s move forward together towards a more transparent and prosperous Uganda,” he added.

However, Kalemera’s appointment has raised eyebrows given that he was convicted of committing a crime about three years ago.

Kalemera was on April 21, 2022, found guilty by the Anti-Corruption Court Judge Lawrence Gidudu of the offence of conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to Section 390 of the Penal Code Act, and also using falsified customs documents contrary to Section 203 (h) of the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004 (EACCMA).

Justice Gidudu, in his verdict, stated that Mr Kalemera and his co-accused, Mr Ian Paul Ssemanda and Mr Ronald Kazibwe, worked in conspiracy to cheat taxes of the taxman.

“It does not require rocket science to see that A1 (Mr Kalemera) and A3 (Mr Kazibwe) were working in a conspiracy to cheat taxes. There is no other explanation on any reasonable hypothesis than to conclude the three persons were acting in a conspiracy,” held Justice Gidudu.

According to the Anti-Corruption Act of 2009, once one is convicted, he/she is banned from holding public office for the next 10 years.

Wadada Rogers, a commentator on political, legal and social issues, said the unit will be working with highly trained discreet persons and will be scattered covertly in major towns and border points around the country.

He also defended Kalemera’s appointment. “According to his critics, Kalemera is not the most suited person to head an entity created to fight graft because of that court case. They could partly be right but who said Kalemera’s job entails collecting taxes or dealing with tax payers. Like the name suggest, his duty is oversight and to gather intelligence that can be used to curtail rackets of defaulters,” he added.