Kampala, Uganda.
The embattled Executive Director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Mr. David Livingstone Ebiru, has been arrested by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) on corruption-related charges. The arrest follows Mr. Ebiru’s own admission where he revealed to a parliamentary hearing that he paid a substantial bribe of Shs100 million to retain his position.
The IGG took swift action when Mr. Ebiru failed to respond to previous summons, issuing a warrant for his arrest. Now, he awaits being arraigned at the Anti-Corruption Court, to face charges of offering a bribe to secure his job. The revelation has sparked public outrage as the man responsible for upholding standards is now embroiled in a corruption scandal himself.
The charge sheet outlines that Mr. Ebiru allegedly offered Shs100 million as a gratification to Charles Musekura while serving as the Executive Director of UNBS between October and December 2022.
During the parliamentary hearing, Mr. Ebiru’s journey from admission to denial raised eyebrows, as he initially admitted to the bribery allegations but later retracted his statement, claiming it was made in anger. This series of events has added intrigue to the case and further fueled public interest.
The accusations against Mr. Ebiru don’t stop at bribery. He also faces allegations of misappropriation of government funds amounting to about Shs12.5 billion, and shielding staff members who reportedly caused significant financial losses of Shs9.28 billion.
