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By Spy Uganda
The Inspectorate of Government has requested an additional Shs25.98 billion in the 2026/27 financial year budget to strengthen its anti-corruption operations amid rising complaints, mounting case backlogs and increasingly sophisticated corruption investigations.
The funding request includes Shs15.6 billion for the recruitment of 100 additional technical staff, Shs4.4 billion for the acquisition of modern investigative equipment and Shs4.2 billion to procure new vehicles for regional and headquarters operations.
The proposals were presented to Parliament through a report by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee during scrutiny of the Inspectorate’s 2026/27 Ministerial Policy Statement.
According to the committee’s Vice Chairperson, John Teira, the Inspectorate is increasingly struggling to manage growing corruption cases with inadequate staffing, outdated equipment and an aging vehicle fleet.
Teira told Parliament that corruption investigations, particularly high-profile cases involving complex financial transactions and procurement fraud, have become costly and technically demanding.
“Ministry of Finance provided only Shs6 million against a requirement of Shs5 billion. This will not be sufficient as the Inspectorate continues to receive requests to urgently investigate these cases,” Teira said.
He explained that investigating a high-profile corruption case through to conclusion costs approximately Shs20 million, while ordinary corruption investigations cost between Shs3.5 million and Shs5 million.
The committee noted that the Inspectorate urgently requires advanced surveillance systems, digital forensic tools and secure communication equipment to improve evidence gathering and strengthen prosecution outcomes.
“Priority items include covert surveillance tools, encrypted communication systems, digital forensics and data analytics tools, and portable evidence documentation kits,” Teira said.
He added that the proposed investment would improve intelligence gathering, enhance evidence quality and increase conviction rates, particularly in technically complex corruption cases.
The committee subsequently recommended that an additional Shs4.4 billion be allocated to the Inspectorate in the 2026/27 financial year to facilitate procurement of modern investigative equipment.
Parliament was also informed that the Inspectorate’s operations are being severely constrained by an aging vehicle fleet that has not been renewed for more than a decade.
According to the committee report, about 78 percent of the Inspectorate’s vehicles are overdue for disposal, including 34 vehicles that have exceeded 240,000 kilometres and 92 vehicles that are more than five years old.
The report further noted that six vehicles destroyed during the 2021 Kampala bomb attacks have never been replaced.
As a result, the Inspectorate spends approximately Shs1.5 billion annually on vehicle maintenance costs.
Teira told Parliament that even vehicles assigned to Inspector General of Government Aisha Naluzze, her deputies and regional offices frequently break down during field operations.
“For the last 10 years, no funds have been allocated to the Inspectorate for procurement of vehicles,” Teira explained.
“To ensure safe and efficient operations, the Inspectorate requires Shs4.2 billion to acquire new vehicles for all regional offices and the head office.”
The committee backed the request, arguing that reliable transport remains critical for field investigations, monitoring government programmes and responding to corruption-related complaints across the country.
The Inspectorate is also seeking Shs15.6 billion to recruit 100 additional staff amid a sharp rise in corruption complaints and investigative workload.
Currently, the institution operates with 407 staff members against an approved establishment of 596 positions, representing a staffing level of only 68 percent.
According to Parliament, corruption complaints reported to the Inspectorate nearly doubled from 1,529 cases in the 2020/21 financial year to 2,942 cases in the 2024/25 financial year.
The increase has largely been attributed to rising public awareness, expanded reporting mechanisms and persistent corruption concerns in government programmes.
However, the staffing shortfall has contributed to a backlog of more than 2,000 unresolved cases. Teira said the Inspectorate requires additional investigators and technical personnel to effectively handle growing cases linked to priority government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM).
“Without a corresponding increase in investigative staff support, this has led to a backlog of over 2,000 cases,” he said.
“To strengthen investigations, verification of leaders’ declarations and effectively address corruption cases, particularly those related to priority government programmes, the Inspectorate requires Shs15.6 billion to recruit 100 additional technical staff.”
The Inspectorate is also requesting Shs1.52 billion to finance specialised training for investigators and prosecutors.
According to the committee report, corruption cases are increasingly involving digital transactions, asset concealment schemes and sophisticated financial networks that require advanced technical expertise.
The proposed training would cover digital forensics, prosecutions, investigations, asset tracing and other technical fields.
“The capacity building will strengthen staff skills, improve case quality, reduce investigation timelines and increase conviction rates, particularly for high-profile and technically complex cases,” Teira said.
The committee recommended full funding for the training programme to improve institutional effectiveness in combating corruption.
The Inspectorate’s appeal for increased funding comes at a time when Uganda continues to perform poorly on global anti-corruption rankings.
The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International in April 2026 ranked Uganda 148th out of 182 countries, with a score of 25 out of 100.
Uganda dropped one position compared to the previous ranking. Within East Africa, Uganda ranked below Rwanda, which placed 41st globally, Tanzania at 84th and Kenya at 130th.
However, Uganda ranked better than Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and South Sudan, which was listed among the world’s most corrupt nations.
The rankings continue to raise concerns about the effectiveness of Uganda’s anti-corruption institutions despite years of government reforms and increased public anti-graft rhetoric.
Under the proposed 2026/27 national budget, the Inspectorate of Government has been allocated Shs88.875 billion, representing a marginal increase of Shs139 million from the Shs88.736 billion approved in the 2025/26 financial year.
Of the approved budget, Shs28.352 billion is earmarked for wages, Shs37.726 billion for non-wage expenditure and Shs22.797 billion for development activities.
However, lawmakers on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee warned that without additional funding, the Inspectorate may struggle to effectively investigate increasingly sophisticated corruption cases and clear the growing backlog of complaints.
The funding debate now sets the stage for broader discussions within Parliament over whether Uganda’s anti-corruption agencies are adequately equipped to confront the country’s evolving corruption networks.
, https://www.spyuganda.com/igg-raise-alarm-as-2000-corruption-cases-rock-inspectorate-seeks-shs26bn-to-hire-100-investigators-buy-spy-tools/
