General duties minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Justine Kasule Lumumba has pledged commitment to deliver iron sheets and goats to former Karimojong rustlers who missed out on the distribution on account of the items being diverted.

According to Lumumba, all the intended beneficiaries were registered by the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), but the intended lot was for a particular group of Karimojong, but the items were never delivered because some ministers allegedly diverted them to themselves and their relatives.

"The Iron sheets issue became loud because it is a security matter. The supplementary budget which was passed by Cabinet and Parliament was meant to buy iron sheets and goats for the [former] cattle rustlers (Karacunas) to supply to those who had lost their property and life,” she clarified.

Director of NRM Manifesto week Hon. Willis Bashaasha, the Minister of Science and Technology Hon. Monica Musenero and General Duties Minister Hon Kasule Lumumba on Tuesday (Photo by Isaac Nuwagaba)

Lumumba said on Tuesday at the Office of the President auditorium in Kampala that they are still waiting for other suspected ministers in question to bring the remaining balance to add to the existing batch that is already at the OPM stores to supply again. She was among the speakers who were giving an update on the progress of the implementation of NRM party manifesto.  

“We so far supplied 236 hybrid cows, 440 improved goats and 19,263 iron sheets to schools and churches in Karamoja, but the Karacunas who missed must receive their intended support as a commitment made by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government,” she added.

Lumumba added that other vulnerable groups who are suffering from HIV AIDS and people with disabilities (PWDs) shall also be considered because they learnt that they were greatly sidelined and cheated through procurement corruption.

“Our greatest challenge is corruption within the mainstream and it takes two to tangle. The system shall continue fishing out the corrupt, but the public needs to be the eye and ear of the regime,” she added.

OPM suspended the distribution of iron sheets across the country after theft and abuse were detected in the process of distribution, causing the arrest of some Cabinet ministers.

By the time of suspension, 84,697 of the 173,665 iron sheets procured had been distributed, leaving a balance of more than 88,000 iron sheets.

Karamoja goats

Parliament passed a budget of shillings 39 billion to purchase relief items meant for vulnerable families affected by animal rustlers to help them earn a decent living after abandoning traditional ways of cattle rustling and pastoralism. 

“Close to 13,000 goats have already been distributed but it was found out that it was given to the wrong beneficiaries which the OPM is still investigating,” Lumumba added.

A total of 39,000 goats worth shillings 19 billion were not delivered to the intended beneficiaries discrediting the Government’s effort to reduce poverty in the region.

Karamoja Parliamentary Group chairperson Remegio Achia told the parliamentary committee on presidential affairs that 70% of goats died on arrival because they were sick and the beneficiaries were not trained properly on goat rearing.