Angelina Osege the committee chairperson on public accounts committee and woman MP Soroti district

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has said it has discovered that there is alot of rigidity among top managers of the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) in the transfer of Teacher’s SACCO funds for its operation.

This has prompted the committee to issue summons to managers of the Micro Finance Support Centre to explain why they have refused to hand over 7 billion shillings to teachers SACCO.

The Education Ministry officials led by the Permanent Secretary, Fred Kakooza, had appeared before the Parliament Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer audit queries raised in the Auditor General’s report for the financial year 2015/16.

In the financial year 2013/2014 financial year, government pledged 25 billion shillings for the teachers SACCO, which funds were meant to be contributed in 5 years, aimed at improving teachers’ welfare.

A total of 9.3 billion shillings was disbursed to Microfinance in the financial year 2014/2015.

In August 2015, Government took a policy shift over complaints from teachers on how their funds were being managed, demanding to have the monies be channeled through the teachers SACCO.

Microfinance Support Center had issued out 2 billion shillings, and the two bodies agreed to have the financial institution to continue managing the loaned funds, but remit 7.6 billion shillings back to the Sacco.

MPS on the committee discovered that to date the Micro Finance Support Centre has refused to remit the monies to the Teachers SACCO, leaving the two embroiled in a fierce battle.

The Auditor General Report pointed fingers at Microfinance has failed to provide accounts and record of service, leaving uncertainty on how the funds have been utilized.

Angelina Osegge, the committee chairperson put the Ministry of Education bosses to task to explain why the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two bodies still exists.

The Ministry of Education officials led by the ministry’s permanent secretary Fred Kakooza officials told Parliament that despite repeated communications to have Microfinance remit the money to the Teachers SACCO, the entity has refused to heed to the request.

The undersecretary in the ministry of education, Aggrey Kibenge, explained that the memorandum of understanding had provisions of termination, but when they sought advice from the Solicitor General the consequences were that Microfinance Support Centre had already disbursed money they had identified and terminating the contract would present difficulties in collecting..

Ossege who is also the Soroti district Woman MP said that the disbursed funds should have been recovered three years down the road because the memorandum of understanding provided for the teachers paying back the monies within three year.

In response, the Ministry said that terminating the memorandum of understanding would have affected the operations of Microfinance.

Masaka Municipality Member of Parliament Mathias Mpugga

North County Elly Elias Asiku Koboko wondered how terminating the contract would have affected the operations of Microfinance yet the money was meant for teachers.

Ossege noted that there is money lying idle in the Microfinance Support Centre  that has been abused and stubbornly refusing to put it where it belongs.

Masaka Municipality Member of Parliament Mathias Mpugga demanded the Microfinance support centre officials summoned to come and explain why they are holding onto teachers’ funds illegally.

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The IGG, Irene Mulyagonja appearing before the Parliamentary Appointments Committee

The parliamentary appointments committee has vetted and approved the Inspector General of government for the five year second term of office. The president renewed the IGG’s  Justice Irene Mulyagonja term of office contract after serving the first five years battling the cases of corruption. Justice Mulyagonja today morning appeared before the parliamentary appointments committee chaired by the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga.

A source says that Justice Irene Mulyagonja is approved by the appointments committee though she was grilled over being lenient on some corruption cases where she promised to improve.

After a closed meeting with the committee members Justice Mulyagonja says that her office is to establish a special investigation unit focusing on the large spending of government ministries and agencies. She admitted that in the IGG’s office there are staff who connive with the corrupt people to frustrate investigations, adding that many of such staff have been known and chased and prosecuted. She also says that there is still political interference while carrying out her work in search for corrupt officials but vowed not be derailed.

The IGG called on the government to increase on number of staff in the office of the IGG so as many corruption cases are dealt with in time.

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Sources reveal that Harriet Ntabazi and Ismael Orot only submitted their academic papers and birth certificates to the appointment committee chaired by the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga but their fate was not decided on.

Orot said that he submitted his academic papers in their order as required by the committee and he is waiting the appointments committee decision.

The designated minister of state for international Affairs Okello Oryem then warned Ugandans not to attempt going  to the middle East countries for jobs which are not professional in nature. Soon after been vetted by the parliamentary appointments committee Oryem  said they have discovered that the manner in which Ugandan girls and boys are treated in the countries is not conducive.  He says that government will communicate if the working environment for workers like maids and cleaners improve in the Middle East Countries.

On Ugandan embassies and missions abroad Oryem says that they are now in better conditions than before since most of them were renovated. He however, stated that those embassies will continue to be with few staff due to small resource envelop the ministry of foreign Affairs is facing. Oryem further says that Ugandan troops will not return to South Sudan for peace keeping despite new fresh fighting in this country and added that the force can only be sent if there is a genocide.

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Namanve Industrial Park

Members of parliament on the Parliamentary  Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has recommended the sacking of the Minister of state for Investment, Eng. Dr. Ajedra Gabriel Gadison Aridru, over mismanagement of the Uganda Investment Authority and irregular land allocation to investors which led to loss of billions of money for government. While presenting COSASE ’15 Report on the Performance & Audited Accounts of Public Enterprises FYs Ended 2011,2012 & 2013 the chairperson of this committee Ibrahim Semuju Nganda says that Ajedra should be relieved of his duties for influence peddling and abuse office.

The committee chaired by Semuju accused Ajedra of constituting himself into a panel to interview and award jobs to employees like his tribesman Basil Aja who had not qualified leaving out Charles Musana.

The minister is pinned for allocation of  10 acres of land to Picfare and other companies which have defaulted in paying for land. These companies included Tiang-Tang Group limited belonging to Chinese Nation which was allocated 2o Acres against the solicitor general’s advise; the minister paid a deaf ear to this advice. Tiang-Tang Group of Company wanted to set up a furniture company on the Namanve industrial Park, Wakiso District. Also included is Alied graphic system which defaulted in paying for land in Namanve and had conflicts with Tiang-Tang over the 20 Acres but later it was allocated land in Luzira.

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The parliamentary Public Accounts committee has grilled the officials in the Ministry of finance over 46 billion shillings which is lying idle yet it was meant for Agricultural credit facility for commercial farmers. The committee chaired by Jinja East Member of Parliament Paul Mwiru noted that 46 billion shillings of the Agricultural credit facility is idle for over a year while farmers are lacking loans and credit.

Members of Parliament discovered that this revolving fund in terms of Agricultural credit facility could have had difficult conditions for farmers to access it. They discovered that even some commercial farmers who accessed this agriculture credit defaulted 2 billion shilling.

The Director finance, David Kalyango, told the committee that the Agricultural credit facility is idle because banks face occasional delays from the farmers who applied for this fund. The undersecretary in the Ministry of finance, Betty Kasimbazi, pleaded with the public accounts committee for it to prevail over parliament so as this Agricultural Credit Facility scheme is reviewed  to ensure it benefits more farmers.

This Agricultural Credit Facility started in 2009 to help farmers to access funds to finance their agricultural production.

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Luzira prison inmates. Photo credit: Universal Journal Review

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Hon. Elioda Tumwesigye flags off ambulances procured under UHSSP. Photo credit: MoH

Members of parliament on the Parliamentary Public Accounts committee of parliament were upset by discovering that the Ministry of health supplied to health facilities in the country medical equipment and these are laying on their verandas.

In the meeting with Ministry of health officials led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of health, Dr. Assuman Lukwago , MPs observed that  the medical equipment  worth 24  million dollars, out of 130 million dollars procured under Uganda Health System Strengthening project  in 2009/2010 and became effective in 2011, were supplied to health centers without needs assessment from hospitals.

The committee chaired by Serere district woman MP Alice Alaso  were saddened to learn that in Mwizi health centre in Mbarara district  medical equipment for a theatre was delivered with the hospital not having a theatre and the equipment are laying on a veranda. MPs also noted that in Iganga hospital an incubator was supplied without a staff operating it which has caused the medical officers in this hospital to wrap up premature babies and put them in this idle incubator.

MPs dug into the matter after the Auditor General conducted a special value for money audit in this project. The project was to help in the rehabilitation of 19 hospitals, 17 general hospitals and two regional hospitals for Mubende and Moroto and 27 health center fours and three. Part of this money, 30m, was meant to support the reproductive health component and 85m US dollars to improve on infrastructure.

Some of the visited hospitals included Pakwach, Mubende, Aduku, Mwizi and Iganga. The Auditor general team found that supply of equipments were made in 2013 but remained lying idle  in corridors and verandas.

The officials faced it rough when asked by the committee to produce the project coordinator Peter Nsubuga who was not in attendance since his contract had expired last week 17th August according to the permanent secretary Asuman Lukwago.

The committee recommended that Nsubuga avails himself to parliament and if he fails police is to arrest him by this week to explain why they never had an assessment form before supply of equipment that now lies idle in hospitals. The Permanent Secretary Asuman Lukwago admitted to and apologized before the committee for having setback this project which needed to reduce on the infant mortality rate.

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Paul Mwiru

Committee Vice Chairperson Paul Mwiru in an Interview with Journalists at Parliament said the Committee had interfaced with Amon Takwenda and has enough evidence to make recommendations.

He says that the committee will now evaluate Takwenda’s Evidence and later they will decide on what to do in the main report.

He said Takwenda’s death will not stop Government from recovering the stolen money from his assets if the committee finds out that he was involved in the scandal.

Amon Takwenda was among the 70 government officials under Investigation over the 20 billion shillings scam for Peace and Recovery Development Program (PRDP) for northern Uganda.

His death, comes after Police had launched a probe in the OPM. Police had earlier interrogated Takwenda over his role in the 14.8 billion that was allegedly channeled from the PRDP account to the Crisis Management Account.

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