Iron sheets saga: OPM suspends distribution

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has suspended the distribution of iron sheets across the country after theft and abuse in the process of distribution were detected, leading to the arrest of close relatives of the Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Ms Mary Gorreti Kitutu.

By the time of suspension, 84,697 of the 173,665 iron sheets procured had been distributed, leaving a balance of more than 88,000 iron sheets.

 “Currently, the distribution of iron sheets has been temporarily halted due to the ongoing investigations following reports of theft of some of the iron sheets. Distribution shall resume as soon as the investigating agencies have concluded the exercise,” a statement issued by Mr Geoffrey Sseremba, the undersecretary and accounting officer at the OPM on Friday, indicates.

The iron sheets

Mr Sseremba said the OPM had procured the iron sheets through the affirmative action programmes to Karamoja, Teso, northern Uganda, Luweero Triangle, Bunyoro and the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Management.

He said the materials were meant to support livelihoods of the vulnerable and social infrastructure in disadvantaged communities.

“During FY2021/2022, in addition to the initial approved budget, the OPM, under the Department of Karamoja Affairs, obtained supplementary funding to support the peace and disarmament exercise in the Karamoja Sub-region and part of the funds under the Supplementary Budget were spent to procure iron sheets,” he said.

The breakdown of the iron sheets per region indicates that the bulk of the items went to Karamoja, totalling to 105,658, of the total 173,665 iron sheets procured, followed by the Ministry of Relief, disaster Preparedness and Refugees who got 27,625, while northern Uganda received 19,170. Bunyoro received 9,274, and Luweero triangle received 6956 iron sheets.

The scandal has since drawn in more ministers, with some indicating that they were given the items without them requisitioning.

Legislators from Karamoja region have since started a move to censure minister Kitutu, accusing her of corruption and abuse of office.

The Opposition MPs on Thursday joined the move and asked all the ministers who have received the iron sheets to resign.

They also asked the Anti-Corruption Court to step in and prosecute the said ministers.

OPM Scandals over the years

Corruption scandals continue to sweep the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). The OPM is responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and supervising government programmes and projects.

The OPM is mandated with providing strategic leadership and direction to the public service in order to ensure efficient and effective delivery of services to the population.

But as the numerous corruption scandals from the entity reveal, it has fallen short in delivering its mandate. Attempts at reform and even change of guard have only led to fresh scandals.  The latest is the iron sheets scandal, which has sucked in a number of ministers. Several ministers, under unclear circumstances, received iron sheets meant for vulnerable individuals and groups in the Karamoja.

Sunday Monitor takes a look back at some of the massive corruption scandals that have hit the OPM throughout the years.

Kasese flood victims

After the floods, the government and other organisations launched relief efforts to support the affected communities.

However, reports soon emerged that some government officials had diverted relief supplies meant for the victims and sold them on the black market, leaving many of the flood victims without essential supplies such as food, shelter, and medical supplies. Several top officials from the OPM were arrested and later charged with corruption and causing financial loss to government.

Covid-19 cash

The Covid-19 cash scandal in the OPM involved the mismanagement and misappropriation of funds intended to support the country’s Covid-19 response efforts. The scandal came to light in June 2020, when the Auditor General’s (AG) report revealed irregularities in the utilisation of funds meant for Covid-19 activities, including the procurement of food relief and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers.

The AG’s report indicated that the funds meant for the Covid-19 response were misappropriated, with some of the funds diverted to personal accounts and fraudulent activities.  Several high-ranking officials, including then Permanent Secretary of the OPM, were arrested and charged with various offences related to the scandal. The government also set up a special taskforce to investigate the matter and recover any misappropriated funds. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), later on withdrew the charges and set the officials free without any explanation.

Refugee cash scandal

The scandal came to light in February 2018, when it was reported that up to Shs795b ($214m) meant to support refugees had been misappropriated by officials in the OPM.

The scandal involved allegations that officials in the OPM had inflated the number of refugees in the country to secure more funding from the international community.

It was also alleged that some officials had embezzled funds meant for the refugees, including food and relief items.

The United Nations, whose agency was also implicated, also launched an investigation into the matter.

Several officials were arrested and charged with various offences related to the scandal.

The PRDP scandal

The scandal related to the implementation of the Peace, Recovery, and Development Plan (PRDP) in northern Uganda came to light in 2012, when the AG’s report revealed irregularities in the utilisation of funds meant for the programme.

Several high-ranking officials, including then Permanent Secretary of the OPM and the commissioner for disaster preparedness and management, were arrested and charged with various offences related to the Shs60b scandal. 

 The government also established a commission of inquiry to investigate the matter and recover any misappropriated funds.