The URA headquarters situated at Nakawa, in Kampala
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I In line with structural a d j u s t m e n t s taking place within the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), the body has recruited 1,165 people to fill the staffing gaps.
According to John Musinguzi, URA’s commissioner General, initially, they had advertised 600 positions, with plans to recruit the remaining staff in the next financial year due to budget limitations.
“But after evaluating the recruitment effort and recognising the urgent staffing gaps, we sought approval for 1,229 staff from the ministry of finance to complete the entire process in one phase which was then granted,” he said.
“I have full confidence in you that you will act as a conduit with us and the new tax payers, especially in remote and upcountry areas,” he said. This was during the induction of the new staff at the URA headquarters in Nakawa, Kampala, recently.
John Musinguzi Rujoki, the URA’s commissioner General
He said the addition of confidence in the new recruits saying the addition of fresh, talented individuals will help address staffing shortages within the tax body.
Musinguzi further noted that the recruitment process is part of a move to strengthen the organisation’s team and support Uganda’s path to economic self-reliance.
“We intend to sealing all loopholes that lead to revenue loss, and help the country raise its tax-to-GDP ratio to match the African average of 20%,” he said, adding that research has shown that for a country to truly develop, its tax-to-GDP ratio should be at least 20%.
He said they received about 100,000 applications, and that out of these, just over 40,000 met the minimum qualifications and sat the initial aptitude test.
“From that group, 3,400 candidates advanced to the oral interview stage and 1,165 successful candidates were selected and officially enrolled as new URA staff,” he said, adding that once the onboarding process is complete, the total number of new recruits will rise to 1,229.
Meanwhile, by the end of the first three quarters of this financial year (end of March 2025), URA collected domestic revenues amounting to Shs 22.379 trillion against a target of Shs22.516 trillion, implying a cumulative shortfall of sh136.6 billion.
According to officials from the ministry of finance, during the final quarter of this financial year, URA and other revenue collecting institutions are expected to collect a total of Shs9.37 trillion.
