Local government PS leaves office
Nov 03, 2011
The Permanent Secretary of the local government ministry, John Muhanguzi Kashaka, has left office, a day after Cabinet ordered his suspension over the controversial deal to supply bicycles for local council chairpersons.
By Taddeo Bwambale
The Permanent Secretary of the local government ministry, John Muhanguzi Kashaka, has left office, a day after Cabinet ordered his suspension over the controversial deal to supply bicycles for local council chairpersons.
His operations have been taken over by Patrick Mutabwire, who is also the director for local government administration.
Kashaka is implicated in the alleged mismanagement of a government programme to supply 70,000 bicycles to local council chairpersons countrywide. The programme was meant to ease their work in monitoring government programmes in their communities.
The ministry released about sh4.8b ($1.7m) to Amman Industrial Tools and Equipment to deliver the bicycles by March this year. However, the contractor failed to deliver the bicycles and the directors of the company cannot be traced.
Parliament’s local government called for the interdiction of Kashaka and other ministry officials for flouting procurement procedures.
Cabinet on Wednesday ordered the suspension of Kashaka; the principal accountant, Henry Bamutura and the principal internal auditor, Helen Owech.
Mutabwire, who takes over as acting permanent secretary, has over 20 years of administrative experience in the field of local governance. He was involved in the refinement and implementation of the decentralisation policy in Uganda.
He is credited for initiating the first ever programme on local administration of justice in Uganda, which involved training village local councilors to arbitrate civil matters in their communities.