Uganda’s Auditor General, Edward Akol, has interdicted about 20 auditors following allegations of corruption, extortion and possible collusion with government officials, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The affected officials include principal auditors from Arua, Masaka, Moroto, Hoima, Jinja, Mbale and Soroti, as well as other staff members based at the Audit House in Kampala.
One source said four auditors were sent out of office on Wednesday afternoon, while the other affected officials received their interdiction letters on Thursday morning.
Among those named are Arua Principal Auditor Martin Wamboza, Masaka’s Hilda Bakojja, Moroto’s Samuel Akampurira, Hoima’s Tracy Turyakira, Jinja’s Michael Omoding Noel and Soroti’s Michael Omagor.
The allegations reportedly involve extortion and possible collusion with accounting officers and accountants in institutions that the auditors were assigned to scrutinise. The claims suggest that some auditors may have demanded money or worked together with officials whose activities they were supposed to independently examine.
The development comes at a time when the Office of the Auditor General is facing growing scrutiny over suspected financial abuse recently uncovered in local governments. Questions are being raised about why some of these irregularities were not detected during the annual audits conducted by the government’s top public audit institution.
The situation could become wider, with more than 60 other auditors reportedly under investigation. The investigations are expected to establish whether the allegations are genuine and whether other officials were involved in misconduct.
However, the allegations against the affected auditors remain under investigation. No final finding of wrongdoing has been made against them, and their interdiction should not be treated as a conviction.
The Office of the Auditor General plays a key role in protecting public resources by auditing government institutions and identifying financial irregularities. Any allegations of corruption within the institution therefore raise serious concerns about accountability and public confidence in government audits.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Auditor General Edward Akol were unsuccessful, as he reportedly did not answer repeated telephone calls seeking clarification on the matter.
The ongoing investigations are now expected to determine the extent of the alleged misconduct and whether disciplinary or legal action will follow against those found responsible.
