Africa-Press – Uganda. Senior civil servants allegedly swindled about Shs3 billion meant for several projects that have since stalled in Butebo District, investigations by security agencies indicate.
According to the investigations, the money in question was reportedly swindled in the first quarter of the Financial Year 2022/2023.
The Butebo Resident District Commissioner, Mr Paul Mwidu Kalikwani, at the weekend said embezzlement of funds and other corruption tendencies have affected service delivery.
He said the stalled projects include one at Kachulu Health Centre II worth Shs617 million and the Benenego road construction worth at Shs76 million.
“It’s from this background that I took the initiative to write a consolidated report and submitted it to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit for further investigations,” he said.
Mr Kalikwani revealed that about Shs188 million worth of local service tax collected between August and September 2022 has not been accounted for and another Shs67 million collected in the first quarter was missing.
He said due to rampant corruption, the district has had three chief finance officers interdicted.
“It was discovered that some schools were getting more than what they are supposed to get while others were getting half of what they are meant to get,” Mr Kalikwani said.
He further explained that Kakoro Senior Secondary School, which was meant to get Shs18 million, received Shs15 million; Kabwangasi Senior Secondary School, which was meant to get Shs56 million, got Shs53 million and J Rainer Secondary School got Shs35 million instead of Shs41 million.
During a district council meeting chaired by the speaker, Mr Gilbert Omugiti, at the weekend, Mr Solomon Lukale Mudangha, the councillor representing workers, said: “Departments currently have no funds to implement the intended projects and so the staff have no work to do. This has started affecting service delivery.’’
The councillors accuse Mr Mutenkanga and the former Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr Kasim Kutos, of mismanagement of public funds.
Mr Kutosi is among the seven officials who are under investigations over the alleged creation of Kanginima Secondary School, a ghost institution with an enrolment of 250 students.
The school received a sum of Shs300 million from the government for the last three years.
When contacted, Mr Kutosi denied any mismanagement of funds, saying the same can be verified with the Auditor General’s report.
Efforts to reach out to Mr Mutenkanga were futile as his known phone was switched off by press time.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit is also investigating non-payment of completed projects, non-payment of procured items, failure to release funds to departments, under-release of funds to schools and direct transfer of funds to staff accounts without requisition.
The Butebo CAO, Ms Florence Nabukwasi, when contacted, said the State House Anti-Corruption Unit is investigating the concerned officials.
The Unit last November arrested Mr Koowa Mutenkanga, the Butebo Chief Finance Officer, for allegedly embezzling funds.
Mr Mutenkanga was later interdicted, charged and remanded to Kamuge prison.
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