By Our Reporters
In August 2015, at the prompting of the President, the Finance Ministry PSST Keith Muhakanizi availed Shs4bn to the Gender Ministry officials to organize the International Scouts Centenary Jamboree (ISCJ) which the big man favored hoping it would increase Uganda’s positive visibility abroad and subsequently boost our tourism receipts. The IGG report, whose first part we reported a few days ago, shows that the Ministry officials used the President’s enthusiasm towards ISCJ to have a cash bonanza for themselves. The IGG report into the mismanagement around the event shows that more than half of the Shs4bn was embezzled and the list of the officials being investigated for this rip off include Undersecretary Benon Kigenyi, Commissioner Mondo Kyateeka, mystery Paddy Masembe, Charles Babenda, Dorothy Nasaka, Charles Otto, Philip Mwanda, Charles Turyatunga and John Kizito. Others are Betty Ligyalingi, Betty Kabajungu, Peter Okune, Ivan Gombya, Alex Asiimwe, Eunice Tumwebaze, Madina Friday, David Kayongo, Muhammad Kibirango, Agnes Nakitende, Aisa Ismail, Gloria Mwenge and Gwennie Kategaya of ISO among others. To understand what each of them is alleged to have embezzled and the companies implicated by the IGG, see our earlier story titled “IGG UNEARTHES NEW CORRUPTION
SCANDAL AT MINISTRY OF GENDER.” An extract from the IGG’s 18 page report, titled “investigations into alleged embezzlement of funds in the Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development HQT 58/11/2015,”sheds light on how the money was expended.
THE DETAILS;
That Shs36.6m was spent on pre-Jamboree coordination activities and another Shs1.25bn was blown on UPDF Engineering Brigade personnel who hurriedly carried out renovation works on the Kaazi camping site which hosted some of the ISCJ-related activities. When the IGG got petitioned by a whistle blower, the Ministry top officials panicked and came up with all this accountability which, upon verification, the IGG has established to be fictitious in a larger measure. And this aspect of the IGG report is based on information Undersecretary Benon Kigenyi supplied before falling sick and getting indisposed ostensibly to delay his own grilling by the IGG detectives handling the matter. Shs60m is claimed to have been spent on conference management, a thing the IG investigators have found to be vague and unsatisfactory. Another Shs60m was eaten under the guise of spending on “oversight management of the conference” by the secretariat (whatever that means)! Shs67.5m was chewed under the guise of facilitating conference-related mobilization by Uganda Scouts Association (USA) officials. Shs80m is recorded to have been spent on accommodating youth delegates that came for the ISCJ event and Shs574.6m on Sudhir’s Speke Resort Munyonyo for the accommodation of delegates coming under the African Scouts Forum. Shs100m was blown on accreditation of participants by ISO-supervised volunteers. The IG report shows this expenditure was problematic because official ISO correspondences show only Shs64m was required and it’s what the organization had requisitioned for and asked the Gender Ministry to wire on its Crane Bank Account 0144021247000. This is why Gwennie Kategaya, who oversaw the accreditation on ISO’ behalf, could have something to answer for. Shs75m was expended on printing and delivery of invitation cards. Ministry officials say Shs35m was spent on “diplomatic scheduling” (whatever that means) during the jamboree. Sitting and ushering services and as well as the hiring of “additional chairs” cost a whopping Shs100m. Shs110m was spent on hiring and erecting tents for the temporary exhibition structure. Shs240m was spent on transporting and shuttling VIP guests. Organizers claim the service provider was Pioneer Bus Services whose top management has since communicated to the IGG refuting this claim saying they were only paid Shs1.8m for the very limited shuttling services they offered. That Shs80m was spent on facilitation and transport refund for the journalists who covered the event at Kaazi. Shs107m was spent on welfare-related activities including taking organizing committee members for an evening drink. Shs73m was spent on entertainment of guests. Organizers claim Shs28.9m was spent on the programming and scheduling of the event (whatever that means). Shs67.2m was spent on first aid services and another Shs281.8m was paid to Uganda Police (thought to have its own budget) for the security of event. Shs60m was blown on the decoration of the pathways leading to the venue. Shs67.2m was spent on transport refund for the 49 members of the organizing committee. Shs79.3m was expended on verifying if all service providers were Occupational Safety & Health-compliant to required standards. Shs30m was spent on “courtesy services” aimed at ensuring senior scouts have a good time. Shs40m was spent on facilitating Uganda Scouts Association officials to showcase their works for the last 100 years. Shs13.6m was spent on giving the ISCJ event social media visibility. Shs578m was spent on purchase of laptops, photocopiers and printers to do ISCJ-related work. Shs27m was spent on Uganda scouts contingent that travelled to Japan for the 23rd World Jamboree. Shs85.3m was spent on dressing logistics for the scouts (caps, T-shirts, scarfs, bags, pens). Shs20m was spent on post-event review meeting and report-writing. Shs51m was spent on shuttling of guests between Munyonyo, Gaba, Kaazi and the Airport. Organizers say that another Shs36.5m was spent on “conference logistics and management” (whatever that means). Shs56.3m was spent on mobilizing the community prior to the event. The IG officials are fearful that by the time the last person is interrogated, the figure of the cash that was embezzled will be way much higher than has been discovered so far because as reported in our earlier story, most of the accountability is fake based on fictitious (service provider) receipts produced from Nasser Road. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
