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Lubowa hospital: Kiryowa asks MPs to support audit
The stalled works of Lubowa International Specialised Hospital located on the Kampala-Entebbe Road. PHOTOS/DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Mr Kiryowa’s call was made before Members of Parliament’s Finance committee who also visited the Lubowa hospital site on Thursday last week.
The Attorney General (AG), Mr Kiryowa Kiwanuka, yesterday rallied Members of Parliament to consider supporting and engaging an expert to conduct an audit on the stalled works on the Lubowa International Specialised Hospital before they can object the inclusion of the extra Shs319b in the 2022/2023 budget.
Mr Kiryowa’s call was made before Members of Parliament’s Finance committee who also visited the Lubowa hospital site on Thursday last week.
Upon establishing that there were no ongoing works and no sub-contractor handling the project, the lawmakers indicated that no more funds would be advanced to the project.
The MPs reiterated the vow yesterday, prompting Mr Kiryowa to ask the legislators to consider backing an audit into the matter.
“If I were a Member of Parliament on this committee, I would ride on the side of caution. If tomorrow we find out that, or the professional tells us, indeed the money that was provided for has been properly utilised… [and] you don’t have the money to support the rest of the contract, we may run into another [issue],” Mr Kiryowa said.
He added: “Right now, we are the hunters. I am hoping and praying that we don’t become the hunted.”
About the session
Yesterday’s session attended by the Minister for Health, Ms Jane Ruth Aceng, Mr Kiryowa, and Finance minister Matia Kasaija was meant to enable the same committee to decide on government’s request to okay inclusion of an extra Shs319b.
Even when the lawmakers expressed anger over failure of Italian investor Enrica Pinetti to deliver the much hyped hospital project on time, Ms Aceng intimated that the government has resolved to extend the deadline for the project.
However, before the MPs could support Mr Kiryowa’s proposal, Butambala County MP, also shadow finance minister, Muwanga Kivumbi launched an inquiry to establish whether the investor had managed to secure a loan basing on the backing that government offered using the promissory notes issued.
“For us, we follow money, [so] we want to establish did the lender go ahead and finance the developer? It is against that, sir, that we are paying a cost to the money borrowed. So, did this developer get a lender for which we are paying?” Mr Kivumbi inquired.
The committee chairperson, Mr Keefa Kiwanuka, said: “Why we are raising this question is because all indications are that the developer does not have or didn’t have the money and was relying on hat government of Uganda resources.”
The acting director of Treasury Services and Asset Management in the office of the Accountant General, Ms Jennifer Bigirwa Muhuruzi, indicated that her office could not confirm on behalf of government.
She was, however, quick to disclose that her office had so far okayed five promissory notes.
“We have issued seven promissory notes to date [and] they have maturity dates. And of the seven promissory notes, five have matured and we have paid out that money,” Ms Bigirwa said.
In August 2019, the parliamentary committee on National Economy together with the top leadership of Ministry of Health was denied entry to the same site.
However, last week with the nod of Minister Kasaija, Members of Parliament accessed the main Lubowa Hospital project.
