Why spend Shs452 on tents & balloons? MPs want the Anti-Corruption Day commemoration ceremony cancelled
Amuria District Woman MP, Susan Amero, questioned why Shs452 million is being used to celebrate the money recovered from the corrupt. I thought we would copy what Tanzania President has done, she suggested.
A section of Members of Parliament (MPs) want the national commemoration of the Anti-Corruption Day scheduled for Friday, December 9 2022, in Ibanda District cancelled and the money allocated for that activity to be given to the victims of corruption in Ibanda.
The MPs were reacting to a statement by the Minister for Ethics and Integrity on Anti-Corruption Day during Wednesday’s plenary chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
The Mityana District Woman MP, Joyce Bagala, said the Shs452 million earmarked for the International Anti-Corruption Day should be re-channelled to victims of corruption.
“The victims of corruption are mothers who die during childbirth due to inefficiencies in the health sector, public schools without toilets and communities without clean water. The activities of the Anti-Corruption Day would make sense by thinking of those affected by corruption,” Bagala said.
She added: “The minister reported an investigation of 26 high-profile cases. We need to know who these high profile public officers are and what was the outcome of the reported investigations warranting recovery of Shs18.2 billion?”
Further adding: “A lot of statistics on money purportedly tracked down, saved and sometimes recovered is not backed by faces that allegedly stole such funds”
Amuria District Woman MP, Susan Amero, questioned why Shs452 million is being used to celebrate the money recovered from the corrupt. I thought we would copy what Tanzania President has done, she suggested.
It has emerged today that the Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has cancelled this year’s independence and directed the money mean for the ceremony to build dormitories for children with special needs.
The Leader of Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, moved a motion that the Shs452 meant for marking the Anti-Corruption Day be channelled to ‘the victims of corruption in Ibanda District.’
“Why should we put this money into tents, balloons and chairs?” he asked.
The 3rd Deputy Prime Minister, Rukia Nakadama, however, informed the house that preparations for the Anti-Corruption Day have commenced and are already in high gear.
“Some activities have already taken place. If there is a need in the near future, colleagues should come early,” she said, implying that it would be hard to cancel the event.
Ntoroko County MP, Ibanda Rwemulikya, called on people fighting corruption to be free and bold.
“There are people shielding the corrupt. You hear, ‘call from above, he is from my region & religion’. This vice has no side. We need to start attaching the property of the corrupt,” he said.
Kazo County MP, Dan Kimosho, suggested that there should be ‘a sector approach and see what cases are investigated and what is done against the officers.’
“We cannot keep carrying the burden for the corrupt. Whoever comes here should be specific and not demoralize those who are working hard.
The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, directed the Minister for Ethics and Integrity to present a statement detailing what the government is doing to fight corruption.
“I will give you any day in February 2023 to allow you to present a comprehensive statement on what you are doing,” he said.
The State minister for Ethics and Integrity, Rose Lilly Akello, during a press conference in Kampala ahead of the commemoration in Ibanda District, released a report showing that the Office of the Auditor General recovered Shs179b from corrupt public offices. The report also indicated that
The Auditor General carried out 6,763 financial compliance, 23 value-for-money, 101 specialized engineering, 85 forensic, and nine Information Technology (IT) audits during the reviewed period – from July 2020 to date.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit recovered Shs35.5b, with Shs8.6b in inflated Covid-19 relief food prices, Shs480m swindled at local governments, Shs3.6b inflated claims in the name of Bukasa Inland Port project-affected persons, and Shs2.9b worth of stolen drugs.
The Inspectorate of Government investigated 26 high-profile corruption cases and recovered Shs30b, including Shs9b and Shs1b from the Agriculture ministry and Uganda Bureau of Statistics, respectively.
