Africa-Press – Uganda. The ministries of Health and Science, Technology and Innovations are on the spot over cars that were procured to help in the fight against Covid-19.
This follows concerns raised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) led by Mr Medard Sseggona that some of the vehicles were given to the wrong people and entities .
“Where did you put our vehicles now that Covid-19, which stampeded us, has ended?” Mr Sseggona asked during a meeting with officials from the Health ministry yesterday.
However, Mr Kenneth Akiiri, the undersecretary for Finance and Administration at the Health ministry, who represented the Permanent Secretary of Health ministry, Dr Diana Atwine, said: “Vehicles that were procured during Covid-19 time were provided to people critical in the response or even after to cater for surveillance and related interventions.”
Mr Akiiri rebutted claims that the cars were given to some non-medical staff including Resident District Commissioners (RDCs).
“It is not true that we provided Covid vehicles to people who are not relevant to the response, at least according to a schedule that we have as a ministry,” Mr Akiiri said.
He also revealed that the Permanent Secretary of the Health ministry, Dr Diana Atwine, had travelled abroad for a conference and could not make it to the meeting.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Dr Monica Musenero, was also absent from the meeting but she is expected to appear before the Committee tomorrow.
Last week, Dr Musenero interfaced with the committee but failed to provide documents accounting for Covid-19 expenditures for financial years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.
While addressing journalists after the meeting, Mr Sseggona said the committee is expecting accountability for the cars.
Mr Sseggona told journalists that he hoped to see the cars redeployed to the health sector [to cater for other emergencies].
In October 2021, Mr Museveni flagged off 282 double-cabin pick-up trucks to help in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The vehicles were bought using part of the Shs29.6b billion which the government got from local donors to support the Covid-19 response. Among the recipients of the cars were districts, municipalities, cities and national referral hospitals.
Ms Ruth Aceng, the health minister has previously directed respective health officials to return the cars that were donated for use in the Covid-19 fight.
The committee’s probe follows a forensic investigation report by the Auditor General into the Covid-19 funds spent during the financial years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.
On Monday, scientists researching the Covid-19 vaccine informed the committee that there is need to improve the national capacity to handle future epidemics.
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