'A few corrupt PPDA officials dent its image'

PIC: Journalists and members of the civil society organisation attending the training. (Credit: Henry Nsubuga)

PPDA | CORRUPTION

A capacity building officer at the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), Dan Atuhairwe, has dismissed claims that the body is composed of corrupt people procuring and disposing off public assets irregularly.

He said instead, the authority's reputation has been dented by a few corrupt people whom it is struggling to weed out to clear its name.

"Corruption is not the synonymous name of PPDA as portrayed; it is just a few rotten eggs in the basket that have tainted its name and we are struggling to rid the authority of such elements," Atuhairwe said.

He was on Tuesday presenting a paper titled: "The Role of Civil Society Organisations and the Media in the Public Procurement and Contract Monitoring Process" at a one-day training for CSOs and the media on public procurement and contract monitoring at Colline Hotel in Mukono district.

The training was organised to train 35 civil society organisation representatives and journalists in an awareness campaign to increase access to information and strengthen the public procurement system through improved accountability, transparency and efficiency.

In his presentation, Atuhairwe said PPDA has no room for corruption, but that it finds its way when players fail to play their systematic roles.

Atuhairwe noted that because money used in the system is public, all efforts are made to ensure that fair competition by bidders, and accountability and impartiality are exhibited in the processes.

The PPDA Capacity Building Manager, Ronald Tumuhairwe, charged CSOs and journalists to work as reliable partners of the government and the authority in fulfilling the role of promoting value for money in the procurement and contract management process.

"You are looked as the multiplier effect agents and because you are where we cannot be all the time, you are relied upon to ensure full accountability is observed by all stakeholders.

Another PPDA senior officer Mary Namirembe advised the media and CSOs to act as whistle blowers where they detect misgivings, and to report to either the PPDA executive director's office or to the Inspector General of Government.