District Human Resource Officer Convicted, Ordered to Refund Sh125m

The Anti-Corruption Court has convicted Wilson Byekwaso, the Human Resource Officer of Bugweri District Local Government, for causing a financial loss of sh125m to the Government through irregular entries of three non-existent employees on the public payroll.

Byekwaso was convicted by Chief Magistrate Paul Mujuni after changing his plea to guilty following the presentation of incriminating evidence during the hearing.

The court fined him sh3.26m, with a seven-year prison sentence in default of payment. He was also ordered to refund the government sh125m and barred from holding public office for 10 years from the date of conviction.

According to investigations by the Inspectorate of Government (IG), Byekwaso abused his access privileges as a human resource officer to enter the names of Kadijja Namusubo, Policap Mukisa and Robert Muziraki onto the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPS) on September 19, 2022.

The entries indicated that the three had been newly recruited by Bugweri District Local Government and posted to Busembatia Secondary School, yet they were not government employees.

The entries were also made without following the required procedures for adding staff to the government payroll system.

As a result, the three individuals received government salaries totalling sh125m between November 2022 and February 2024. The payments were made through their respective accounts at DFCU Bank.

Investigations by the IG established that the three were not employees of the Government of Uganda and that their employment records were unavailable at Bugweri District Local Government.

The investigations further established that none of them had ever served as a teacher at Busembatia Secondary School.

Byekwaso’s change of plea to guilty following the presentation of incriminating evidence paved the way for his conviction and sentencing.

The case highlights the risks of abuse of access to government payroll systems and the financial losses that can arise from irregular recruitment and salary payments.

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