Africa-Press – Uganda. The Mbarara District Chairman, Mr Didas Tabaro, and the outgoing Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr Edward Kasagara, are locked in a wrangle over revenue collection.
Mr Tabaro accuses Mr Kasagara of conniving with the Rubindi-Ruhumba Town Council clerk to embezzle local revenue.
“A whistleblower shared with me how the town clerk collects money from the farmers and slaughter slabs and he doesn’t bank that money,” Mr Tabaro said.
Mr Tabaro said he has since ordered a special audit but the CAO has never effected it.
“Instead of him [CAO] effecting my directive that a special audit should be conducted, he just kept the letter to himself because he knew he had been transferred and he didn’t want his town clerk to be investigated,” he said.
Mr Kasagara has been transferred to Rubirizi District where he will start work on July 1.
“I want to assure him that he cannot leave this station in shambles, he must clean his desk and hand over to the new CAO everything that was handed over to him,” Mr Tabaro said.
Mr Kasagara said there is no merit in the chairman’s accusations.
“I have never been directed by the chairman to investigate the matter regarding revenue collection and this is just propaganda. Politicians do not like seeing hardworking people who are not in politics because they feel threatened by their positions,” he said.
Mr Kasagara said the matter is currently under investigation by the Inspectorate of Government (IG).
“Collection of taxes is not done by the sub-county chief or town clerk, it is done by town agents. Hopefully, very soon they [IG] will give us the report,” he said.
The chairperson of the public accounts committee for Mbarara District, Mr Herbert Kamugisha, yesterday said Mr Kasagara will still answer queries even after his exit.
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