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Parliament has urged government to begin verification of its projects in Kampala and Wakiso districts on the basis that the funded projects in the central is hardly felt.
Informed by glaring reports of corruption and embezzlement of funds from other sub-regions, legislators said it was urgent for government to establish the status of projects within the central region.
“As a committee, we want to see you in the central first, when you are done then go to another area,” said Hon Jesca Ababiku, Chairperson of the Presidential Affairs Committee.
Ababiku was responding to a presentation by the Minister of State for Economic Monitoring, Hon Peter Ogwang, who while appearing before the committee, revealed that many government funded projects never existed while others were either incomplete or in bad condition.
“I went to Bukwo District and in my opinion it is the worst district in project implementation. I found 50 ghost projects; they take you to a place, show you that that’s where the project is but you don’t find any,” Ogwang said.
He cited a scenario where the Bukwo Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) led him to a supposed water gravity scheme, only to find an old tractor.
“The CAO took me to a water gravity scheme and I asked for the generator but he showed me a hand walking tractor as a generator which is old and non- functioning,” said Ogwang.
Ogwang concurred with the committee recommendation of starting the 2022 monitoring in Kampala and Wakiso on the basis that people especially those living in poor communities hardly feel the impact of government programmes.
“When you go to Kampala and Wakiso, you only see big projects, you don’t see any projects in slums. People feel as if there is no government,” he said adding that, ‘I have written letters to Wakiso district and all its municipalities, I am waiting for the information they are meant to provide’.
He revealed that in his recent visits to four sub-regions, his team registered 284 cases that are being scrutinised for prosecution. He added that his team requires the support of prosecutors, police, auditors and engineers if it is to produce the desired results.
“We must have police from headquarters because I know the challenges in the district. We must have big prosecutors from the headquarters because I want by the time I am done with the districts, files ready to be sent to court,” said Ogwang.
MPs proposed to Ogwang to consider boosting the capacity of Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) to ably follow up government projects.
“Most RDCs are no longer doing the work they are supposed to do; they are instead involved in politics that is dividing the NRM party. They need to be oriented again,” said Hon Evelyn Chemutai, (Indep., Bukwo district).
Some legislators accused RDCs of fueling lawlessness and called for comprehensive measures to assist them shift their focus to government work.
“The training is necessary to check the excesses of some RDCs and it should cover the rest of the country, because it is very disturbing that RDCs are the ones facilitating issues such as illegal land evictions,” said Hon Tony Awany, (NRM, Nwoya County).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
