MP Abdu Katuntu

The Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises queried the expenditure of Bank of Uganda during this year’s 50 years celebrations.

MPs while interfacing with the Bank of Uganda officials led by the Governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebire, said during the procurement of items and services for Bank of Uganda celebrations of 50 years there procurements found necessary that were done outside the normal procurements raising questions from MPS why they were not done in normal way.

MPS on the committee chaired by Bugweri County MP, Abdul Katuntu, are querying the procurement of pens for the Bank of Uganda celebration at 100 dollars each.

On look of the pen MPs are suspicious that were designed in the US and made in china and are considering handing over some of the pens to Auditor general for purposes of authentication.

MPS are also questioning the accountability of 700 million shillings   used by Bank of Uganda for school challenge, 100 million shillings paid for a cocktail and 144 million shillings paid for accommodation for the guests who came for the celebrations.

The committee also directed bank of Uganda officials to submit to the committee all the 154 internal audit reports and 17 tender contracts since 2014 to 2016 for scrutiny.

The committee allocates three days scrutiny of Bank of Uganda over internal audits and tender contracts to ensure proper accountability of the funds.

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MP Abdu Katuntu the Chair of the Committee.

The Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (CCOSASE) recently pinned the former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) directors for forging contract documents in the awarding of a 138 billion shillings contract.

According to the auditor general’s report of 2013/14 there was variation on the dates of signing and awarding contracts meant for the construction of Vurra-Arua-Koboko-Araba road.

Auditor general report also indicated that within the contract document a page was missing and a different unedited page was inserted which may have caused price fluctuations.

This caused the committee members while meeting the old team of UNRA headed by Eng.Kimeze Ssebuga to get suspicious of corruption connivance amongst UNRA officials and directing UNRA serving boss, Allen Kagina, to submit the contract documents for scrutiny by the committee.

A grader works on Vurra-Arua-Koboko-Oraba road.

The Chairperson of the Committee who is also Bugweri County MP, Abdul Katuntu, said that the contract in question should be subjected to a legal audit when given to parliament by UNRA boss by Friday this week.

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Business man Karim Hirji of the Imperial group of hotels.

Business man Karim Hirj last week confirmed that the 262 million shillings given to him by President to purchase a transformer during the 2007 Common Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) was a gift.

Karim told this to a team of four MPs who had been sent by the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) which is chaired by Bugweri County MP, Abdul Katuntu, at Imperial Royale hotel to verify the status of the transformer in question.

President Yoweri Museveni in 2007 before the hosting of CHOGM directed the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to advance the money to Karim’s Hotel Imperial Royal to buy a transformer so as to light up the hotel that was among those identified to host guests.

The auditor general’s report of 2014/15 queried the action stating that it was public money which should be refunded by Karim to REA.

Imperial Royal Hotel that President Museveni directed Rural Electrification Authority to give over 200 million Uganda shillings for the purchase of a transformer.

After the fact finding tour by MPs on COSASE on whether the transformer bought was still functioning at Imperial Royal Hotel, Karim informed MPs that he even has a letter that states that the transformer was a donation.
However, Katuntu insisted that anyone who used public money whether in a form of donation or grant, he or she has to pay back thus summoning Karim to appear before the committee on Thursday this week.

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President Yoweri Museveni.

President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni last week appealed to the Parliamentary Commission to consider extending the payment of pensions and gratuities to include all the former MPs not just those of the 9th and 10th Parliament.

Museveni said this recently during the Golden Award Ceremony of 1162 MPs who served the country right from the 1st to the 9th Parliament when Uganda celebrated its golden Jubilee.

The President says the government cannot fail to look after 1,000 people who in the last 50 years made a contribution to the development of this country.

The appeal was made when one of the Golden Jubilee Medalists asked that as former legislators, Parliament considers also accompanying their awards with some token of appreciation in form of money.

Mathias Nsubuga, the former Bukoto South MP expressed the need for a resource envelop that can cater for families of former MPs most of whom cannot cater for themselves.

Another MP, Gilbert Oulanya, the Kilak County Member of Parliament did not also differ much saying that government needed to do more for these families either by either schooling their children than giving simply empty medals.

Meanwhile former Rubaga South MP, John Ken Lukyamuzi does not support attaching monetary value to the medal. Lukyamuzi was however, among the few opposition politicians who turned up to receive the medals.
He said boycotting the ceremony is meaningless and he received a medal not for President, Yoweri Museveni but for his own contribution to Uganda’s democratic struggle.

Some of the prominent opposition politicians including Dr. Kizza Besigye, wife Winnie Byanyima, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Party President Mugisha Muntu, Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Winfred Kiiza  did not show up  for the Golden Jubilee medal awarding ceremony.

Others are Democratic Party (DP) president and former Gulu Municipality MP Norbert Mao, former Mbarara Woman MP Miria Matembe, former Kampala Central MP Erias Lukwago and others.

The awarding occasion is provided for under the National Honours Award Act, 2001.

The medalists were read out by, General Elly Tumwine who is the Chairperson of the Presidential Awards Committee.

Museveni was later invited to decorate the medalists who were recognised for work done in building Uganda’s democracy.

However, Gen.Tumwine cautioned those who received the medals to handle them with care and put them on with pride since they remain a property of the republic of Uganda.

About 300 Members of Parliament since 1962 to 2012 did not pick their Golden Jubilee award medals, though 600 million shillings was injected in for their procurement and preparations to about 1400 beneficiaries.

Reports from the officials who were giving out invitation cards and identification tags to the beneficiaries of the medals say that most of the Opposition MPs shunned the awarding ceremony and hence causing wastage of funds used for making   invitation cards, identification tags and booking eats they said.

The award is in recognition of the present and former MPs for their contribution to the democratization of the country and some of them missed the medals due to lack of transport facilitation especially to those who served in the first Parliaments.

The awarding ceremony held at Serena hotel on Monday and officiated by the President was attended by few opposition MPs because others did not want to associate with the President and prefer to pick them after without the President’s hand shake.

Among of those who boycotted the function include; the former  Democratic Party President, Dr.Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere,John Sebana Kizito ,Mukono Municipality MP, Betty Nambooze Bakireke ,Leader of Opposition Winfred Kiiza ,Kampala Central MP, Mohammed Nsereko , Erias Lukwago ,Bugweri County MP, Abdul Katuntu ,Soroti Woman MP, Angelina Ossege ,Lubaga North MP, Moses Kasibante ,Busiro South MP,  Merdad Segona ,Masaka Municipality MP, Mathias Mpuga among others.

Others are the former FDC Leader, Dr.Kiiza Besigye’s wife Winnie Byanyima ,former Leader of Opposition, Wafula Oguttu  and Latigo Ogenga ,Democratic Party President, Norbert Mao ,former Mbarara district MP, Maria Matembe among others.

The few opposition MPs who attended the function include the Kilak North MP,  Gilbert Oulanya, Kasilo County MP, Elijah Okupa ,Lira district Woman MP, Joy Atim , Aswa County MP, Regan Okumu among others.

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MP Abdu Katuntu the Chair of the Committee.

This During an interface between the committee chaired by MP, Abdul Katuntu into the audit queries of Uganda National Roads Authority for the financial year 2014/2015 and  the 5 companies including China railway 18^th Group, China railway No.3 Group, China Railway No. 5, Zhongmei Engineering Company and China Chongqing International Construction Corporation.

The committee discovered that part of the 47billion that was advanced to these contractors to compensate people affected by road works was instead deposited and is currently being held in separate bank accounts in China instead of Banks in Uganda.

Katuntu directed the Chinese officials to return to the committee tomorrow with all the financial statements showing the progress of compensations and other documents showing advance guarantees.

We captured the proceedings of the committee while Katuntu was questioning the Chinese officials.

A committee member also, Kibaale MP, Engineer Cuthbert Abigaba, expressed disappointment with the unpreparedness of the Chinese officials to explain how government funds are being handled.

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The directive was given following a discovery by the legislators that UNRA commissioned the operation of Kyoga one ferry on Zengebe –Namasare between Nakasongola and Amolter district without insurance.

The Committee Chaired by the Member of Parliament for Bugweri County, Abdul Katuntu, were shocked to learn that Kyoga one ferry has been operating on water for three years yet it has never been insured.

The discovery surfaced while the MPs grilled the Director Road Infrastructure protection at UNRA, Reuben Byaruhanga Tumwebaze.

The MPs who included; that of Kasilo County, Elijah Okupa, Woman MP for Bukedea, Anita Among said that the ferry is putting the people’s lives in danger while the travel on water.

Katuntu told UNRA officials to insure this ferry, warning that he will order police to put to rest its operations if its insurance is not secured soon.,

Allen Kagina the UNRA boss.

In her response the Executive Director UNRA, Allen Kagina, admitted that there has been a delay to secure the insurance for Kyoga one ferry, saying that it was caused by the bureaucracy with the insurance company which  they had identified to do the job.

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Abdu Katuntu the Iganga Municipality MP who is also the Parliamentary Committee Chairperson on Commissions, Statutory and State Enterprises.

Abdul Katuntu, the Committee Chairperson and also Bugweri Member of Parliament ordered officials from URC to produce a list of assets showing the prices at which these properties have been disposed off.

During a meeting between MPs Committee and the officials of URC led by their Managing Director, Charles Kateeba, the MPs were shocked to learn that URC sold off assets of the Corporation but did not keep an asset register showing what has been sold and at what price.

The committee is probing non-valued assets, unserviced loans and trade and payables worth over 144 billion shillings as reflected in the Auditor General’s report of the financial year 2014.

Katuntu and Busiro East Member of Parliament, Medad Segoona, noted that although the privatization unit gave the corporation a list of assets sold off, the asset register has never been updated for transfer.

While responding these queries Kateeba said that some of the queries should be directed to the privatization unit since most of the work for the corporation is generated from there.

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MPs who comprised of Abdul Katuntu, Jovah Kamateka and Baka Mugabi said that the proposal for the president to cross the floor freely is unacceptable on the basis that the president supported by a given party or a coalition abandons his or her party and does not face any penalties.

They said that the provision should include the president to lose the seat as MPs if they all cross the floor, for fairness.

Appearing before the committee the NRM Party Deputy Secretary General Richard Twodong and the Party Deputy Treasurer Keneth Omona also asked parliament to amend Article 72 of the Constitution to require a person intending to stand as an independent candidate to be with 1000 signatures of registered voters in constituencies or districts. MPs said this should have applied to political parties since they are funded and independents collect less signatures so as they all have a level ground.

NRM officials also objected to a proposal by former FDC leader Kizza Besigye and Civil Society Organizations calling for extension of the life of parliament and suspension of elections. Richard Todwong said the constitution requires that every after 5 years, elections should be held so that people can vote their new leaders and therefore postponing elections and also extending the term of parliament will be a violation of the constitution. He said that as a party, NRM is very prepared to participate in the upcoming elections and also advised all parties and those who love democracy to ensure that they participate.

Todwong laughed at MPs who are not ready on the ground for elections and insisted that the elections will not be postponed. He said that as a party, it supports a proposal to kick out any members who switches his positions in parliament but however, added that this obligation should also be extended to those in local government like LC5 and Councillors.

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The Inspector General of Government, Raphael Bakku who had appeared before the committee to defend his budget told members that government did not make any agreement for repayment with Serena and Jand M airport hotels when money was advanced, yet the money was supposed to be given as a loan.

Bakku said that according to his investigations he found out that the 1.8 billion shillings that was given to Serena hotel and 2.2 billion shillings that was given to Jand M AIR PORT hotel was just a mere donation.

However Bakku says that he has asked the ministry of finance to recover this money adding that he has negotiated with the owners of these hotels and the widow of late owner of the air port hotel was willing to refund.

Meanwhile the shadow Attorney general also a member of this committee Abdul Katuntu says that the CHOGM investigations by the IGG be stopped because they are not yielding any results.

However, Katuntu says that on the recoveries of the CHOGM money the IGG is attempting to make, he should be in position to get the interest which this money has accumulated over a period of time and the costs the IGG has involved to recover this money.

Katuntu’s proposal was supported by many members on the committee.

By Isaac Senabulya

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Gen Moses Ali

Kantutu who is also Bugwere County MP in an Interview with Journalists at Parliament said the position of Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament does not exist and therefore the appointments Committee should not approve General Ali until his fate is cleared.

However, when contacted the deputy Attorney Hon Fred Ruhindi said Government will give its official position on the allegations because they have not received official complaint from Shadow Attorney General and cannot speculate.

Ultimate Media

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