President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has added onto Uganda’s many anti-corruption units, establishing a new one particularly charged with the task of reversing a trend of annual multi-billion revenue losses resulting from corruption and inefficiencies at the country’s tax body.

“President Museveni has created the State House Revenue Intelligence and Strategic Operations Unit to do an oversight on Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) operations and fight corruption within the tax administration system,” the Presidency said on Friday.

The creation comes at a time when President Museveni is pushing for rationalisation and merging several government agencies, a move he said would save Uganda more than Shs1 trillion every year. 

Still on Friday, David Kalemera was appointed senior presidential advisor to head the unit.

“The creation of the unit will help government close revenue leakages and boost tax collection,” the Presidency noted in a brief statement.

On June 13, President Museveni announced a renewed fight against corruption as the country struggles with graft which the Ombudsman says costs Uganda over Shs10 trillion annually.