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Agriculture ministry’s goat project co-ordinator has been sent to the Parliament's Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for scrutiny over alleged irregularities in procurement processes.

The development came after the Members of Parliament on the House Committee on Public Accounts (Central Government) on Monday, March 4, 2024, interfaced with the ministry officials to discuss the Auditor General’s (AG) report on the ministry’s financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2024.

The AG’s report exposed alarming discrepancies within the execution of the Goat Rollout Project (GRP), a five-year venture that was budgeted at sh1.5b spanning from 2020/21 to 2024/25.

The project is being implemented by Sembeguya Estates Uganda Ltd (SEUL) and was designed to bolster livestock farming across seven district local governments (DLGs) including Gomba, Kyankwanzi, Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Mubende, Wakiso, and Sembabule.

Stephen Kajura, the GRP project co-ordinator, had expressed his inability to provide insights into the re-contracting of SEUL, explaining that he was not aware of former dealings with the company.

“I don’t know the background on how they were contracted; someone else was managing. So, I was brought in at the tail end when they already had an MoU,” he said.

However, committee chairperson Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala County MP) noted that he was not comfortable with doctored documents and directed that the project officer takes oath before continuing to present to the legislators.

He questioned the project co-ordinator's responsibility, stating, “So, once you take over office, don’t you go through the files and get acquainted with the details even if you came at the end? You were in charge of both assets and liabilities of this project”.

Kivumbi directed an oath to the project co-ordinator before he requested that, at the conclusion of the committee session, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers accompany Kajura to obtain more documents regarding dealings with SEUL promptly.

High death rate

The AG’s report indicated that there was a significant mortality rate among the distributed goats that occurred within the initial week following delivery.

In the case of Nakasongola district, all 150 goats distributed, valued at sh52.5m, had died, similarly, in Gomba district, out of the 700 goats distributed valued at sh245m, 259 goats worth sh90.7m died by the time of the audit was conducted in September 2023.

The report also highlighted that SEUL procured and distributed 71 imported goats valued at sh0.528 billion (with each goat priced at sh7.45m) and 2,902 local indigenous goats worth sh1.156b (with each goat priced at sh398,207).

Representatives from the Auditor General's office verified these findings and emphasized that they had never encountered the supplier in question during their investigations.

Call for transparency

The MPs emphasised the need for transparency regarding the procurement process. Kalungu County West MP Joseph Gonzaga Ssewungu said: “We investigated on SEUL previously so how MAAIF sourced the entity to carry out procurement of this project yet we have records stopping them from doing anything on behalf of the ministry and they are also among the blacklisted service providers of government".

Committee vice-chairperson Gorreth Namugga (Mawogola County South) voiced concerns about the alleged dishonesty of the project co-ordinator.

“In your own docket, if there is an observation of a project that is close to 50% failure, with deaths of goats, you cannot come and casually make a submission as if something is too small, claiming that you didn’t interest yourself with what happened prior, especially the procurement action files,” she said.

She also asked that a detailed procurement action file right from the initiation of SEUL be brought before the committee before they proceed with the assignment, adding that, “This will lead us to other abnormal aspects of the project which appears a scam and the entity appearing not to be bothered.”

Kashari North MP Basil Bataringaya Rwankwene expressed skepticism regarding the cost of the imported goats, priced at sh7.45m each.

According to the project co-ordinator, the goats were sourced from South Africa and Namibia, selected for their high pedigree intended to enhance the genetic quality of Uganda’s local goat population.

“The overall cost, inclusive of expenses such as transportation, insurance and flight charges, justifies the price incurred for these goats,” Kajura said.

MAAIF permanent secretary David Kasura-Kyomukama disclosed to the Parliament committee that the project faced suspension due to the significant losses already incurred.