Energy PS grilled over sh36b
Dec 06, 2006
MEMBERS of Parliament on Wednesday grilled the energy ministry permanent secretary Kalisa Kabagambe over the ministry’s failure to utilise donor grants amounting to sh36.2b meant for energy projects.
By Mary Karugaba
MEMBERS of Parliament on Wednesday grilled the energy ministry permanent secretary Kalisa Kabagambe over the ministry’s failure to utilise donor grants amounting to sh36.2b meant for energy projects.
The legislators were irritated that the money was not used despite the rampant energy problems.
The ministry has used only sh2.2b out of sh39.2b approved during the financial year 2004/5.
The committee chairperson Nandala Mafabi asked Kabagambe to explain why the ministry budgets for projects that are urgently needed but never effects them.
“Your absorption capacity is too low yet you put us on pressure to approve the loans. How many hospitals would the Government have built with this money,†Mafabi asked.
Kabagambe said the delay in absorption was connected to the project designs and the procurement processes.
He said some of the affected projects include the mineral development and the rural electricity transmission programmes.
He said the Government had extended the completion of the rural electricity transmission programme by more two years.
MEMBERS of Parliament on Wednesday grilled the energy ministry permanent secretary Kalisa Kabagambe over the ministry’s failure to utilise donor grants amounting to sh36.2b meant for energy projects.
The legislators were irritated that the money was not used despite the rampant energy problems.
The ministry has used only sh2.2b out of sh39.2b approved during the financial year 2004/5.
The committee chairperson Nandala Mafabi asked Kabagambe to explain why the ministry budgets for projects that are urgently needed but never effects them.
“Your absorption capacity is too low yet you put us on pressure to approve the loans. How many hospitals would the Government have built with this money,†Mafabi asked.
Kabagambe said the delay in absorption was connected to the project designs and the procurement processes.
He said some of the affected projects include the mineral development and the rural electricity transmission programmes.
He said the Government had extended the completion of the rural electricity transmission programme by more two years.