Pader to expel 25 NGOs over failure to pay local politicians

Mandate. Some organisations say they are mandated to support communities and not redirecting their funds to facilitate council meetings.

Pader council is planning to expel at least 25 NGOs for failing to facilitate the district’s next budget meeting.

The deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Robert Okwir, in a budget conference held last month, said the council and the NGOs agreed that 30 development partners in the district contribute Shs267,000 each for lunch and transport allowances for lower councillors.

Mr Okwir said his office had informed all the organisations regarding the support but only five NGOs contributed Shs426,000 on Monday.

“The contribution was meant to facilitate transport refund and lunch for district councillors, sub-county chairpersons among others for the special budget conference meeting to attend to a presentation for the work plans and budgets for the NGOs,” Mr Okwir said.

Abiding
NGOs that paid include Mercy Corps, COOPI, International Aids Services, Trust for Africa Uganda-Uganda and ZOA.
However, some representatives of the organisations that objected said it was not their mandate to facilitate the district’s meeting budgets.
They said the organisations already had their own budgets that are inclined to support the communities and not redirecting their funds to facilitate council meetings.
“If the district resolves that we should pack and go because of our failure to facilitate their transport and lunch, then we are ready to do that,” an official, who declined to be identified for fear of possible reprisal, said.

The LC5 chairperson, Mr Alfred Akena, said the district would not mind having only two ‘loyal’ NGOs in the area.
“I am going to write a letter to all the funders of these NGOs, informing them how these organisations are behaving,” Mr Akena said.

More than 80 organisations were operating in the district during the peak of the insecurity but only 30 are left.

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