Pension scam probe continues

The former Pension Commissioner in the Ministry of Public Service Stephen Kunsa Kiwanuka has pinned the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service Jimmy Rwamafa in the 268 billion shillings pension scam. Kunsa who was sweating and taking water frequently under constant questions from Members of Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee chaired by Paul Mwiru said that Rwamafa should take the full responsibility of the disappearance of 165 billion shillings paid to ghost workers. He told MPs that the former Permanent Secretary acted without his guidance as the former Commissioner for Pension and added that the payment to ghost pensioners was authorized in disregard of the normal procedures.

However, the Auditor General officials who attended the proceedings queried the role of Mr. Stephen Kunsa in this office if he failed to detect such a scam where about 7500 dead pensioners were still on payroll. Mr. Kunsa who had served with the Ministry for 34 years also named the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Major General Severino Kahinda Otafire, in another 15 billion shillings ghost payment and MPs said that Otafire will be invited over after examining the witness submission.

Kunsa said that Otafire wrote to the Ministry ordering them to release this fund to a ghost law firm known as Hul and partners. In the same vain Mr. Kunsa faced it rough when the Head of Planning in the Ministry of Public Service, Moses Tegyeza, also pinned him on the authorizing of 88 billion shillings as NSSF contribution yet the law exempts public servants from NSSF contribution.

The committee instructed the police CID to fish out the suspected officials in the Ministry of Public Service who failed to appear before the Committee despite of the summons sent to them last week.

Among the needed officials are the former Permanent Secretary Jimmy Rwamafa, Christopher Obey and JJ Nansera.

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