By Patrick Jaramogi
KAMPALA, Uganda: Its Confirmed, the Long wait is over. The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Shs140 billion tower officially opens its gates to the public tomorrow Saturday, January 19, 2018. The URA Commissioner General Doris Akol confirmed to Spy Uganda that the fountain of honor, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will preside over the official opening of the 22 floor facility.
Akol said the overall objective of the tower is to provide infrastructure for better service delivery by having all URA departments under one roof. The building that has taken four years to complete will save the tax body Shs15Billion annually on office rent. Prior to 2016, the offices of URA were scattered in multiple rented locations across the city of Kampala. As of August 2016, URA spent US$3.5 million in rent and US$1.5 million in operational expenses annually. In 2014, the agency began construction of a 22-storey skyscraper to consolidate all the agency offices in the city under one roof and save money in rent and operational expenses. According to Akol, URA plans to use the savings to improve its upcountry offices.
TheSpy Uganda has established that the delay to commission the building was due to completion of the tarmac road, Walusimbi Lane, from Nakawa to the new building. This road has cost government USh2.57 billion (approx. US$680,000), funded by the Ugandan government.
