Tororo leaders fight over hospital

By Chris Kiwawulo

IGG said one of the administrators is signatory to hospital bank account, contrary to Auditor General advice

A row has erupted among Tororo Hospital management committee members after their chairman petitioned the Inspector General of Government (IGG), alleging abuse of office and corruption.

The row mainly pits the management committee chairman, Kennedy Adhola Otiti, against the district Chief Administrative Officer, Vitalis Oswan and the hospital senior administrator, Amos Oboke.

Otiti accused Oswan, a member of the hospital management committee, together with Oboke, of improperly signing partnerships between the hospital and several donors.

Among the partnerships he queried was that with the Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration (IDRC) and the Christian Foundation for Community Development (CFCD).

In a September 18, 2011 letter, Otiti requested the IGG to investigate suspected abuse of office, improper disposal of hospital assets and corruption, which he alleged, was mainly being perpetuated by Oswan and Oboke.

Handover report

Otiti also queried why the outgoing management committee chairperson, Nicholas Dokoria, did not hand over to him officially as required by law.

“After I failed to get a handover report, I wrote to the IGG seeking an investigation into suspected abuse of office and corruption at the hospital because I did not want to be part of the mess,” he told New Vision.

Otiti has been the chairperson of the hospital’s management committee since September 2011. Otiti said he wrote to the IGG through Olive Sempa, the Tororo IGG regional office head.

He also copied his petition to the district chairman, Emmanuel Osuna, as well as the deputy resident district commissioner, Bob Opio.

Why petition the IGG?

When contacted, Oswan denied any wrongdoing, saying the IGG had investigated and cleared all the issues that Otiti had raised against them.

“I am not happy at all with what he did. As the chairman of the hospital management committee to which I am a member, he (Otiti) should have consulted us instead of making such unfounded allegations. We should have discussed those issues at the board level,” he observed.

About the hospital’s contract with IDRC and CFCD, Oswan said he found running agreements between the donor agencies and the hospital, which he said were signed by his predecessor, Felix Esoku.

On the sold hospital tree, he said the funds were properly utilised and that this is what Otiti should have sought, not petitioning the IGG.

Attempts to get a comment from Oboke were, however, futile as he could not be traced and he did not answer his cell phone despite several attempts to reach him.

Superintendant speaks out

Dr. Thomas Ochar, the hospital medical superintendent, said whereas he was new in office, he had heard about the issues under contention.

However, like Oswan, Ochar noted that the IGG had investigated the allegations and exonerated those implicated.

Osuna, on the other hand, said it was okay for the IGG to investigate the operations within the district to ensure transparency.

Asked what he had done about the petition, which was copied to his office, Osuna said he had directed an internal audit into the allegations.

“There are some few issues which were not properly done like the handover of the office of the committee chairperson, which the IGG also pointed out,” he stated.

Osuna added that the IGG had instructed him to write to Dokoria so that he can prepare a report to ensure proper handover.

Osuna, however, said most of the issues that Otiti raised before the IGG were his personal opinions and not necessarily the truth.

Munira Ali, the IGG spokesperson, confirmed that Otiti had petitioned the inspectorate, adding that they investigated the issues raised and came up with a report.

IGG finding

The report dated February 13, 2013 signed by the IGG, Irene Mulyagonja, confirmed that Dokoria left office without submitting a handover report to the appointing authority. She recommended that the district chairman compels Dokoria to prepare a detailed handover report within 30 days.

The report revealed that the senior hospital administrator (Oboke) was a signatory to the hospital bank accounts against the Auditor General’s prior guidance.

The IGG also revealed that the hospital did not have a proper assets’ register, contrary to local government regulations.

Weak accusations

She, however, noted that claims of illegal sale of hospital assets, including a mvule tree, illegal partnerships with donors and secret induction of staff lacked merit.  However, the petitioner (Otiti), said he had not yet seen the report.