Mr President, I would like to thank you for declaring war on corruption. Indeed, corruption is a major cause of underdevelopment in Uganda, and when the opportunity arises to fight against it, all Ugandans must stand up and join the fight.
Mr President, this is the reason why I am writing this piece, asking for your intervention over the corruption that is nearly crippling the performance of the Uganda Free Zones and Export Promotion Agency (UFZEPA).
The Uganda Free Zones and Export Promotion Agency (UFZEPA) is a government agency dedicated to promoting and facilitating export-oriented investments in Uganda. It develops and manages free zones while providing support to investors and exporters across various sectors.
It was established under the Free Zones (Amendment) Act of 2024.
Its mandate is to transform Uganda into a regional manufacturing and export hub by creating conducive business environments, offering attractive investment incentives, and facilitating seamless market access for businesses.
The agency’s operations include overseeing licensed and operational free zones across Uganda, including a major public free zone near Entebbe International Airport, and offering incentives such as reduced taxes and export opportunities in markets like COMESA and the AfCFTA.
However, Mr President, the alleged silent corruption inside UFZEPA needs serious investigation, and any culprits found responsible must be dealt with.
The key areas that need to be thoroughly investigated within UFZEPA include fuel management practices, office imprest management, and the loss of an undisclosed amount of money from UFZEPA offices on the fourth and sixth floors of Communications House.
Mr President, what I have learnt is that one of the causes of corruption within UFZEPA is the inadequacy of internal control systems, including the apparent absence of a Fleet Management Policy.
The organisation, which spends a lot of taxpayers’ money, also has no Finance and Accounting Manual. The absence of such policies exposes the entity to operational malfunctions.
This is why, as a concerned citizen of this country, I appeal to the President to direct an investigation into this organisation, where, according to my concerns, a lot of questionable activities are taking place.
I was shocked to learn that the entire entity does not have a Fleet/Fuel Management Policy, specifically covering pool vehicles and staff fuel cards. Staff members are reportedly given quarterly fuel allocations loaded onto their cards, whether they own vehicles or not, and such fuel may be used as a form of transport allowance.
I will provide more details in the next piece.
The writer is a senior veteran journalist.
