Ex-Uganda Revenue Authority Employee Admits Guilt in High-Profile Corruption Case
In a significant development within Uganda’s judiciary system, the High Court in Kampala has convicted Roggers Kanzira, a former Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) employee, on serious charges of corruption and abuse of office. Kanzira, 35, who previously served in a temporary capacity at the URA’s rental office, entered a guilty plea, opting for a plea bargain in front of Justice Lawrence Gidudu, a move that concluded the court session on Monday with a notable outcome.
Kanzira’s arrest on August 4, 2023, marked the beginning of the end of his short-lived career at the URA. He was apprehended following allegations of soliciting a bribe of Shs10 million from Isaac Byaruhanga, a taxpayer faced with a daunting rental tax assessment of Shs1 billion. In a desperate bid to evade the hefty tax levy, Byaruhanga was purportedly approached by Kanzira with an offer to nullify the tax assessment report.
The URA prosecution team laid bare the facts of the case in court, leading to several hearings that ultimately saw Kanzira conceding to the act of solicitation for a bribe, thereby expressing his wish for a plea bargain. “After several court sessions and presenting all the implicating evidence, Kanzira agreed that indeed he had solicited for the bribe and requested for a plea bargain,” the legal team elaborated.
Following the agreement of the plea bargain, Justice Gidudu imposed a fine of Shs8 million on Kanzira for his offenses. Upon payment of the fine, Kanzira was released, albeit with a significant caveat to his future career prospects. The court decreed that Kanzira would be ineligible to hold any public office for a decade, a ruling grounded in section 46 of the Anti-Corruption Act. This section explicitly disqualifies individuals convicted of corruption or abuse of office from holding public office for ten years following their conviction.
Plea bargaining, as defined by Uganda’s Judiciary, serves as a legal avenue for accused individuals, represented by counsel, to plead guilty to charges in exchange for a reduced sentence, circumventing the need for a full trial. This case not only underscores the effectiveness of plea bargaining in expediting the judicial process but also highlights the continuing efforts of Ugandan authorities to combat corruption within the public sector.
