Public fund thieves must be punished
Apr 12, 2010
ONE cannot but feel sad when reading the Auditor General’s report for last financial year. Local governments failed to collect debts amounting to sh77b. Funds unaccounted for amounted to another sh30b. In addition, sh10b went to unauthorised expenses, almost sh1b was diverted and sh4b in unspent b
ONE cannot but feel sad when reading the Auditor General’s report for last financial year. Local governments failed to collect debts amounting to sh77b. Funds unaccounted for amounted to another sh30b. In addition, sh10b went to unauthorised expenses, almost sh1b was diverted and sh4b in unspent balances was never returned to the Treasury.
All in all, sh140b was lost to local governments in just one year. With that money, 140km of roads could have been tarmacked, over 600 secondary schools could have been built, complete with laboratories, and 1,400 health centre III could have been erected.
These revelations come on top of reports that the country might not get value for money for two other major projects costing $100m (sh200b) each — the identity cards and the Internet backbone infrastructure.
Most depressing is that the opposition does not seem to provide an alternative for this sad state of affairs. Districts and town councils under opposition rule are among the biggest culprits of unauthorised or unaccounted for payments.
These include most divisions of Kampala, Gulu and Lira municipality, and the districts of Kitgum, Lira, Koboko, Tororo and Bududa. People who divert public resources should know that they are stealing from the poor, by denying them basic services like education and health. As a result of this theft with impunity, Uganda’s social services are quickly deteriorating, undermining the very fundamentals of the NRM revolution.
Hospitals are without drugs and basic requirements like bandages, and the education system is going through a major crisis. Uganda has the highest teacher absenteeism in Africa and the highest primary school drop-out rates in East Africa.
There is nothing noble or honourable about stealing from the poor, and those involved should be treated with contempt, not respect.
President Yoweri Museveni should take a firmer stand on corruption. The time of ‘mend and reform’ is over. Thieves of public funds are sabotaging government programmes and indirectly killing the poor. They should be prosecuted and punished, as a deterrent to others.
All in all, sh140b was lost to local governments in just one year. With that money, 140km of roads could have been tarmacked, over 600 secondary schools could have been built, complete with laboratories, and 1,400 health centre III could have been erected.
These revelations come on top of reports that the country might not get value for money for two other major projects costing $100m (sh200b) each — the identity cards and the Internet backbone infrastructure.
Most depressing is that the opposition does not seem to provide an alternative for this sad state of affairs. Districts and town councils under opposition rule are among the biggest culprits of unauthorised or unaccounted for payments.
These include most divisions of Kampala, Gulu and Lira municipality, and the districts of Kitgum, Lira, Koboko, Tororo and Bududa. People who divert public resources should know that they are stealing from the poor, by denying them basic services like education and health. As a result of this theft with impunity, Uganda’s social services are quickly deteriorating, undermining the very fundamentals of the NRM revolution.
Hospitals are without drugs and basic requirements like bandages, and the education system is going through a major crisis. Uganda has the highest teacher absenteeism in Africa and the highest primary school drop-out rates in East Africa.
There is nothing noble or honourable about stealing from the poor, and those involved should be treated with contempt, not respect.
President Yoweri Museveni should take a firmer stand on corruption. The time of ‘mend and reform’ is over. Thieves of public funds are sabotaging government programmes and indirectly killing the poor. They should be prosecuted and punished, as a deterrent to others.