IGG reveals a corruption racket at Local Government
The IGG, Ms Beti Kamya, at a media briefing in Kampala on February 21, 2023. PHOTO | ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- In an illustrative way, Ms Kamya said that the Ministry of Finance, Planning Economic Development can send Shs1b to the CAOs to repair a school but the ‘big fish’ instruct the CAO to return Shs500m to the source.
The Inspector General of Government (IGG) has revealed how government loses huge sums of money in a corruption racket where ‘bigwigs’ divert money released for projects.
Through her official twitter handle, Ms Beti Kamya, noted that she has received complaints from district Chief Administration Officers (CAOs) that some government officials recall part of the money and instruct the them to account for all the released cash which results in poor quality services.
In an illustrative way, Ms Kamya said that the Ministry of Finance, Planning Economic Development can send Shs1b to the CAOs to repair a school but the ‘big fish’ instruct the CAO to return Shs500m to the source.
“So they have to find a way to repair the school with Shs500m but account for Shs1b,” Ms Kamya noted.
She adds that the CAOs, District Executives, Councilors and Contracts Committee would also use at least Shs200m to cater for their own interests and later use the balance (Shs300m) to do the shoddy work in repairing a school that had a budget of Shs1b.
“This means they will use cheap inputs and installations and before you know it, the school collapses or catches fire and kills children,” she said.
She added: “After collapsing or catching fire, the CAO writes back to the Ministry of Finance, Planning Economic Development for money to repair the school and the story goes back to square one and continues. When will the country ever develop?”
The IGG also expressed concern about the deteriorating roads which have not lived for more than five years, attributing it to high corruption levels.
“See all the roads of which H.E. (President) was very proud five years ago, they are all impassable, they have to be done all over again in under five years! That is the story of Uganda!” She further stated.
While addressing the CAOs and town clerks who gathered in Kampala for a three-day local government symposium at the beginning of this month, the IGG urged them to be whistleblowers by reporting those who engage in any form of corruption, including officials who recall part of the released local government funds.
The IGG 2021 report revealed that the country loses at least Shs10 trillion every financial year which is almost 25 percent of the national budget.
