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The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) in Uganda has launched an investigation into suspected ghost police officers who have been allegedly receiving salaries without actively working for the force.
According to sources within the CID, there are around 695 police officers on the payroll who are no longer part of the active workforce but have continued to collect their salaries.
Preliminary findings suggest that these individuals have been receiving a total of UGX 355 million each month, amounting to an estimated UGX 4.26 billion annually.
This money has been paid out despite the officers not being accounted for by the police force, raising serious concerns about corruption and mismanagement within the system.
The probe into the matter is ongoing, and investigators are focusing on uncovering how these ghost officers remained on the payroll, who might be responsible for facilitating these payments, and the full extent of the financial loss to the government.
If the allegations are confirmed, those found guilty could face serious charges, including fraud and embezzlement.
The CID has vowed to thoroughly investigate the matter to ensure that those responsible are held accountable. This case highlights the broader issue of payroll fraud in government institutions, where ghost workers continue to cost taxpayers millions of shillings.
Uganda’s law enforcement and other public institutions have faced similar challenges in the past, and efforts to clean up the payroll systems have been ongoing, but this case shows that much more needs to be done.
As the investigation progresses, the Ugandan public is eager to see whether those involved will be brought to justice and what measures will be put in place to prevent such incidents from happening again. Investigation is also expected to bring attention to other possible cases of payroll fraud in different government sectors.
For now, all eyes remain on the CID as they dig deeper into the details of the case and work to expose the full scale of the scandal.
