By Diana N. Kintu
Top of Form
The Inspector General of Government (IGG) and President of the Eastern Africa Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (EAAACA), Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, has officially opened the 8th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for Eastern Africa (ARIN-EA) in Nairobi, Kenya.
The high-level meeting has drawn heads of anti-corruption agencies, investigators, prosecutors and development partners from across the region, with a shared focus on strengthening collaboration in asset tracing, seizure and recovery. The gathering is being held under the theme, “Unmasking Beneficial Ownership in the Fight against Corruption and Recovery of Assets.”
In her opening address, Lady Justice Batala warned that corruption and illicit financial flows continue to pose a serious threat to governance, economic development and justice systems in Eastern Africa. She stressed that asset recovery remains a vital mechanism for ensuring accountability and deterring corruption.
“Transparency in beneficial ownership is essential for effective investigations and the successful recovery of illicitly acquired assets,” she said.
ARIN-EA, a regional platform that facilitates cooperation among asset recovery practitioners, has made notable progress in recent years. Achievements include enhanced cross-border collaboration, capacity building for more than 2,000 practitioners, the development of mutual legal assistance guidelines, and improved systems for information sharing among member states.
Lady Justice Batala called for stronger coordination among institutions, quicker responses to mutual assistance requests, and sustained commitment from governments to improve the effectiveness of asset recovery efforts. She noted that corruption continues to erode public trust and hinder socio-economic development, urging countries in the region to intensify joint efforts in tracing and repatriating stolen assets.
Delegates at the AGM are expected to examine strategies for exposing concealed beneficial ownership structures, which are often used to facilitate corruption and money laundering. The meeting will also review progress made in regional asset recovery initiatives and identify new approaches to strengthen cooperation across borders.
Reaffirming Uganda’s commitment to the fight against corruption, Lady Justice Batala highlighted the importance of ARIN-EA as a platform for sharing expertise, fostering professional networks and promoting collective action against illicit financial flows. The meeting underscores the growing importance of regional solidarity in combating corruption, with particular emphasis on transparency, accountability and the recovery of public assets to support governance and sustainable development.