The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Beti Olive Kamya, has directed the accounting officials of Soroti district and the city council to provide Emyooga papers and reports, as well as the procurement plan for the fiscal year 2022/2023.
Kamya gave the orders during a spot-check visit to Soroti on Thursday.
“For the time being, my team will be looking at Emyooga.” “By the end of the day, I want all the names of Saccos, the amount of money received per Sacco, the beneficiaries, and their contact information,” Kamya stated.
She also requested that Soroti’s chief administrative officer, Andrew Ochen, present the procurement strategy for the previous fiscal year, including all advertisements and award letters to various contractors.
While their duty is to ensure rigorous adherence to the rule of law by eliminating corruption and abuse of power, Kamya’s visit to Teso is to connect with government institutions in order to develop better ways of service delivery.
According to a report submitted last month to the Minister of State for Microfinance, Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune, just 20% of the Emyooga monies disbursed to communities in Soroti district had been retrieved. Some of the targeted groups, including as mechanics, taxi drivers, and journalists, refused to accept the money, which they termed “NRM money.”
However, Kamya emphasized that arrests and prosecutions of public personnel for corruption are akin to a postmortem, asking for preventive methods such as raising awareness of the need of following the rule of law.
“Our communities require a shift in mentality. Look at our health facilities; there are no pharmaceuticals, but people praise the unscrupulous who amass wealth fraudulently when they arrive with pocket change to alleviate them of the sorrow of losing their loved ones,” she explained.
She underlined that corruption costs Uganda more than Shs 10 trillion each year. Soroti district council speaker Stephen Olebe has requested that the IGG’s office intervene in many situations in which the district is fighting in court over unresolved problems caused by a lack of resources.
“Local governments are struggling due to the central government’s meager funding.” Some of the small sums we receive end up in court,” Olebe explained.
According to district sources, Soroti is involved in over 40 separate issues involving contracts and other grievances.
