Plans are underway for members of the private sector led by the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) to set up the Uganda Fraud Database. It is believed that the incoming database will provide a solution to the increasing levels of fraud and financial crime.

Francis Gimara, the Head, Alp East Africa, and promoter of the database, said the legal justification for the creation of the fraud database is derived from section 7(2) (b) (iii) and (c) of the Data Protection and Privacy Act.

He however noted that there is a need to recognize the data protection and privacy principles governing collection and processing of data. The database will capture names, contacts, and other details of persons and entities involved in fraud cases and the nature of committed fraud.

To actualize this, a company limited by guarantee will oversee the overall management and operation of the database. The registered corporate members of the company to be set up will provide information on confirmed cases of fraud within their organizations and these details will be fed into the database.

The information in the database will be public and will be from members, the police, the courts of law, media reports, or any other legal sources of information – it will have to be factual, and confirmed through forensic audits, investigations, or disciplinary processes and necessary to prevent fraud.

Deo Kayemba, the Chairperson of the Uganda Manufacturers Association said the database will help stem fraud. “We have seen businesses close because of fraud. We have seen many executives lose jobs because of fraud. Therefore, it was important to come up with this [database] and collect this information so that we can know who did what and where,” he said.

Joseline Kateeba, a Non-Executive Director at Uganda Manufacturers Association explained that the database will be a centralized database where members of the private sector can have quick reference.

“We want as investors, before signing any contract, to do due diligence and background checks on people we are hiring or contracting,” she remarked. She noted that some entities don’t understand the nature of the people they are dealing with so the database will supplement other efforts which have been reactionary in fighting fraud because it is preventative.

Karen Atamba, the Chief Finance Officer at Biyinzika Poultry International Ltd, revealed that most times, fraud is committed by the people they have entrusted their business operations with. “If the database comes, we will put their [fraudsters] names there and these people will not be employed again,”