The city authority contracted a foreign company TUCKSEE to provide the e-city system for 2.7m dollars.The system is employed to electronically account and manage city revenues.

The Committee on Commissions Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has however criticised the fact that KCCA failed to collect withholding tax from the vendor of the system.

The auditor general in his report ending 2014 noted that KCCA was according to the contract compelled to pay withholding tax of 6% amounting to 130,000 dollars on behalf of the contractor contrary to the law.

MP Anita Among

When KCCA tried to amend the contract the contractor lodged a complaint in the court of arbitration and on the 8th of June this year was awarded 211,000 dollars’ worth of withholding tax certificates and late payment costs of 23,000 dollars.

MPs on the committee reprimanded city officials led by the KCCA Executive Director, Jennifer Musisi, for negligently flouting local tax laws leading to loss of funds.

The Deputy Director, Sam Serunkuma, attributed the computation on a special bilateral agreement signed between Uganda and South Africa and the World Bank guidelines on procurement.

However the MPs led by the Deputy Chairperson, Anita Among, refused to acknowledge this response noting that national laws take precedence over trade rules and guidelines.

Musisi tried to argue that there was no loss of funds but was shot down by  Among and Kasilo County MP, Elijah Okupa, who insisted that any breach of the law leads to loss of money.

Among has called for a cost benefit analysis of the entire project.

Jennifer Musisi the Executive Director, KCCA

Musisi justified the expenditure of 2.7m dollars on the acquisition of the systems source code that enabled the authority to upgrade the system at will.

The MPs have asked for a list of all Court cases that KCCA is embroiled in, additionally the MP for Lubaga North Moses Kasibante led a call for KCCA to submit the professional CVs of the heads of its procurement, finance and legal so that the committee can analyze their competencies.

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Anita Among, the deputy chairperson COSASE of Parliament.

The directive was made by the  deputy chairperson of the committee, Anita Among, after the query raised by the audit report of 2014/15 showing that UBC had failed to collect debts from different debtors to a tune of over 30 billion shillings .

The committee while meeting UBC officials led by the corporation’s managing director, Winston Agaba, noted that UBC signed no agreement with parliament to air its preceding at any cost but are surprised to see UBC books of accounts showing that parliament owes them 10 billion shillings .

UBC management has been for the past years claiming parliament is indebted to UBC funds worth 10 billion shilling after airing its plenary proceedings.

MPs also directed that UBC submits its asset register by 30th November 2016 after the audit’s report indicated that UBC management doesn’t know its assets across the country.

Meanwhile the Management of UBC has also been grilled over non-remittance of 5% employees NSSF.

The auditor general’s report of 2014/15 implicated UBC management of failure to remit the savings of 17bn shillings and over 30bn yet their books of accounts showed the deduction of the money on each employee.

In reply the managing director of UBC, Winston Agaba, said the failure is due to the financial crippling the cooperation is in.

The headquarters of the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC).

Furthermore he also informed the committee that UBC has also not paid 247 workers since September of this year which is also affecting their output.

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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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