Kamuli council rejects sh80m donation
Jun 11, 2020
“We can approve the UWEP cash and the MPs’ 100m, but not the sh80m. That money was tampered with and approving it is suicidal,” Charles Mpalabule, the chairperson of the finance committee, said.
By Tom Gwebayanga
Kamuli district councillors have rejected the sh80m which Kamuli district COVID-19 taskforce received as a donation from the International Development Institute (IDI) Uganda, to fight the pandemic.
In the heated meeting at Kamuli Youth Centre on Thursday, the councillors rejected the motion brought in the supplementary budget, saying they could not commit themselves approving money which had already been spent.
The Secretary for Finance, Planning and Administration, James Kiwule, moved the motion, saying the money was spent on activities in the COVID-19 isolation unit in Kamuli General Hospital.
Kiwule also moved two other motions, the approval of the sh173m of the Uganda Women's Empowerment Programme (UWEP) and sh100m which the five MPs from Kamuli brought after all MPs were directed to return the money they had received for the COVID-19 fight.
The councillors said clearing the use of money that was spent in April by technocrats would bring audit queries on the district council.
"We can approve the UWEP cash and the MPs' 100m, but not the sh80m. That money was tampered with and approving it is suicidal," Charles Mpalabule, the chairperson of the finance committee, said.
According to Kiwule, acknowledging receipt of the money meant the council had to instruct the CAO to provide accountabilities.
Sticky donation
The donated money has not only proved a challenge to the district council, but also led to the arrest and detention of a New Vision journalist in Kamuli, after the paper published details about the disagreement that featured in the district COVID-19 taskforce.
The taskforce members had clashed over the allocation of the money, before some members stormed out of the meeting in
protest. New speaker elected Earlier in the session, the members elected Samuel Bamwole as speaker and Victoria Apili as his deputy.
The slots fell vacant after Dennis Lyada was appointed Inspector of Schools, while his deputy, Dorothy Mbalule, resigned to contest for speakership, which she lost to Bamwole.