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Commissioner General, Uganda Revenue Authority
SESSION 6: Heart Session: A Grander Vision
- During her 20-year career as a public servant, Kagina has transformed the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) by taking on corruption, increasing service-orientation and winning awards for innovation
- Motivated by a desire to convert Uganda from a borrower to a giver nation, her reforms have led to higher revenue attainment, allowing the government to increasingly fund its national development plan
- The URA has become a model public institution for developing countries; Kagina is a sought-after speaker who regularly addresses international forums on resource management
Session Notes
- Stats
- African was the fastest growing continent in population and GDP
- Most African nations will reach middle class status by 2025
- Poverty declining. 58% were living on less than $1.2/day, now 48%
- God does not know the division between church and politics or between church and business.
- Pastor told her “You are an anointed tax collector.”
- Decided we had to have integrity and be competent.
- I terminated everyone – 2 months notice – and reapply for all jobs
- Went to tax payers and asked, “What do you want us to do for you?”
- don’t want to wait in long lines – built online systems
- don’t understand – teach people their rights &
- Front-loaded service and put enforcement, auditing later
- Rebranded, did community work
- Revenue has grown 314% in 10 years
- Organizations used to say don’t recruit from the URA. Now I can’t keep my people. People from the URA are leading many organizations now.