In the article: “ Kiryowa, Ggoobi names appear in plot to arrest accountant general Semakula, The Observer, February 12-18, 2025), the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka appears aggrieved in the story.
He has since complained to the newspaper and demanded a retraction of the story and an apology.
We wish to clarify as follows:
The Attorney General serves as the primary legal advisor for the government, offering legal advice to government agencies and representing the government in legal proceedings. This role includes advising on the interpretation of laws and the legality of proposed actions.
Given the Attorney General’s position as a legal advisor to the government, it is understandable that government offices, including the Ministry of Finance, seek his counsel.
The objective of the story was to highlight the potential conflict of interest that may arise in government operations, and also represent the complaints by Mr Semakula against his superiors and colleagues,and his co-accused. Such reporting serves the public interest by providing transparency and accountability in governance.
The Observer having seen a plethora of correspondences between the secretary to treasury ( PSST), the Attorney General and the Accountant General, we believe the article was not malicious but based on accurate information, though not with mathematical precision.
In that regard the exchange of correspondences and the inevitable counsel of the Attorney General could have been misconstrued by the aggrieved parties in this matter as an attempt to bring down the Accountant General.
We recognize that the interpretation of our reporting may differ and we wish to engage in constructive dialogue to address your concerns. Where some errors were committed, we are open to correct them and regret them.
Our commitment to journalism integrity is paramount. We are willing to collaborate with your office to clarify any misunderstandings that may have arisen from the article.