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District PAC to get 30% of recovered graft cash
Uganda's legal tender. PHOTO/FILE/NMG
What you need to know:
- In Buhweju, the PAC chairperson gets Shs160,000 while other committee members get Shs140, 000 as sitting allowance.
Authorities in Buhweju District have passed a resolution to reward the district Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and other recovery entities such as internal audit, district council and police with 30 per cent of every fund recovered from corrupt officials.
This, the officials say, will help fight corruption and embezzlement of public funds.
The Buhweju District chairperson, Mr Deo Atuhaire, last week said they made the resolution at the beginning of this month.
“It was a recommendation of the district executive committee after finding that public funds recovery entities are incapacitated and working without resources. You know how rewards and sanctions work. If you put something to reward somebody, you are not inducing them. It is like putting a prize for whoever performs better or best. I think that is one of the ways of asking people to work very hard,” Mr Atuhaire said.
He added: “The mandate of these entities is to make sure that they promote accountability and that the money sent here is well utilised. Once recovered, this money becomes revenue for the district.”
Mr Atuhaire explained that rewarding recovery entities will help reduce corruption cases in the district.
“For example if you know that the entities will run after you to recover the money, you will not steal it and that money will serve its intended purpose,” he said.
The Buhweju county Member of Parliament, Mr Francis Mwijukye, said the approach has worked better in Rwanda and other countries.
“ It is a good approach to encourage people to work towards fighting corruption. We will sit down and see how best it is implemented. We have previously lost funds and many other opportunities as a result of corruption,” he told Daily Monitor.
What others say
Mr Francis Nuwajuna, the district secretary for health and social services, said 30 per cent of the recovered money will help entities to function efficiently.
The district PAC chairperson, Mr Deus Kabaireho, said: “We get Shs5.2m a year which is not enough. Now that council has realised the need and promised to give us 30 per cent of the recovery, it will energise our committee to fight corruption within the district. When seven members of the PAC sit, they are supposed to be given an allowance but we have not been getting enough from the central government.”
In Buhweju, the PAC chairperson gets Shs160,000 while other committee members get Shs140, 000 as sitting allowance.
