Prime
Officials shared iron sheets on WhatsApp
Combo: Finance minister Matia Kasaija (L) and Karamoja Affairs minister Goretti Kitutu (R)
What you need to know:
- Insiders describe the approach as “highly irregular” and in breach of public service standing orders on management of government assets.
The stores team at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has said it released more than 5,000 iron sheets to beneficiaries on the basis of telephone calls and WhatsApp messages, an approach insiders described as “highly irregular” and in breach of public service standing orders on management of government property.
In an official explanation upon request by OPM Permanent Secretary Keith Muhakanizi, the senior inventory management officer in a February 13 internal memo noted that an aide to Karamoja Affairs minister and another official telephoned to inform them that, subject to time-to-time guidance, beneficiaries of 12,200 iron sheets would be arriving to pick the items.
“Accordingly,” the official wrote, “he sent us WhatsApp messages guiding on the distribution and basing on that, we issued the iron sheets to beneficiaries sent by the personal assistant (PA) to the Honourable Minister for Karamoja Affairs until Wednesday 8th February 2023, when we received a call from the Accounting Officer/Under-Secretary (F&A), halting anymore release until further notice.”
By this time, according to the memo, 5,500 G28 corrugated pre-painted iron sheets had already been distributed. Among the listed recipients include Karamoja Affairs minister Goretti Kitutu (3,000), First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga (500), State Minister for Primary Education Moriku Kaducu (200), Third Deputy premier Rukia Nakadama (300), and Finance Minister Matia Kasaija (300).
The other beneficiaries are Finance State minister Amos Lugoloobi (300), Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua and Bwino Kyagulaga, the junior Agriculture minister. Ministers Kasaija and Kadaga have separately acknowledged receiving some iron sheets, without saying whether the consignments are those originally meant for Karamoja, and said they distributed them to roof schools and health centres in their respective constituencies.
In his explanation to PS Muhakazini, the senior inventory management officer added: “It is true that we based on the verbal and WhatsApp communication of the personal assistant (PA) to the Hon MKA (Minister of Karamoja Affairs) to inform our decision to issue to the above-mentioned beneficiaries because we had no reason to doubt communication from a fellow officer who works directly with the Honorable Minister for Karamoja Affairs.”
A senior government official familiar with the accounting procedure in government described the approach by the OPM team as “highly irregular”, arguing that the requisition should have been in writing with an attachment of the distribution list duly signed by the instructing officer.
“The instructions to the stores should also include background [information on how and who made the decision and when],” the source said, “That (explanation that stores team trusted a minister’s PA) is no defence.”
Two highly-placed OPM officials confirmed the memo as authentic.
The senior inventory management officer noted that the word by mouth and WhatsApp instructions followed a January 25 authorisation from the accounting officer/under-secretary for finance and administration (AO/US, F&A) to release 12, 200 G28 corrugated pre-painted iron sheets to the office of the Karamoja Affairs minister against a request for the same by the “US/P&D and the Hon MKA”.
OPM’s principal communications officer Joyce Babirye, yesterday declined to discuss whether it was permissible under civil/public service rules for their officials to hand government property over to individuals on the basis of word of mouth and social media posts.
This publication has learnt that the revelations prompted PS Muhakanizi to issue a reminder to subordinates on the rightful procedures of official communication as stipulated in the standing orders (Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2021) and management of public resources.
Members of Karamoja Parliamentary Group appear before the Presidential and Foreign Affairs Committee at Parliament on February 27, 2023. The committee is investigating the iron sheet and goat scandal. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
In the February 15 circular, he wrote that “requisitions [to stores] from user departments shall be originated and or endorsed by the head of department before submission to the accounting officer. Where requests have been originated by ministers/political leaders, local government or other stakeholders, technical assessments of the requests shall be carried out by the responsible department prior to approval by the accounting officer”
Ministry rules
Mr Muhakanizi, a former secretary to the Treasury, added: “Upon receipt of a requisition, the accounting officer shall evaluate the request and approve or reject it; rejected requests shall be returned to the originating department while the approved requests shall be processed further to facilitate the release of items from the stores. Stores staff shall release items strictly accompanied with delivery note and gate pass against approved requisitions after authorisation by the accounting officer.”
He also said property issued by central government stores shall be disbursed to districts or cities and received and signed for by the chief administration officer or applicable accounting officer, in effect crowding out politicians or their aides in the official asset transfer process.
Insiders said the refresher circular on public service standing order is intended to prevent a recurrence of the iron sheet distribution saga, which both Parliament and the Inspectorate of Government are simultaneously investigating.
Extract of a February 13, 2023 internal memo from OPM Senior Inventory Management Officer to Permanent Secretary Keith Muhakanizi.
To: PS-OPM
Cc: AO/US F&A
From: Senior Inventory Management Officer
Date: 13 February 2023
EXPLANATION ON THE ISSUING OF IRON SHEETS FOR THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAMME IN KARAMOJA SUB-REGION
On January 25, the stores unit received authorisation from the AO/ US F&A to release 12, 200 G28 corrugated pre-painted iron-sheets to the office of the Honorable Minister for Karamoja Affairs against a request for the same by the US/P&D and the Hon: MKA.
The stores unit thereafter received phone calls from the office of the Honorable Minister for Karamoja Affairs thru her Personal Assistant and SAS Karamoja Affairs informing us that he will be sending beneficiaries of the 12, 200 iron sheets to pick up their consignments and that, he will be guiding on the distribution from time to time.
Accordingly, he sent us WhatsApp messages guiding on the distribution and basing on that, we issued the iron sheets to beneficiaries sent by the PA to the Honorable Minister for Karamoja Affairs until Wednesday 8th February 2023, when we received a call from the AO/US F&A halting anymore release until further notice.
By the time of halting the release however, we had so far issued out 5,500 iron sheets in the under listed beneficiaries whose representatives had signed for them.
It is true that we based on the verbal and WhatsApp communication of the PA to the Hon: MKA to inform our decision to issue to the above-mentioned beneficiaries because we had no reason to doubt communication from a fellow officer who works directly with the Honorable Minister for Karamoja affair.
Additionally, as a unit, we believed that the authorisation granted by the AO/US F&A and the instruction from the Hon: Minister’s Personal Assistant was sufficient to warrant issues to the above beneficiaries whose representatives signed for the items they took.
Moving forward, we promise to strengthen due diligence in handling issues from stores so as to prevent re-occurrence of the above scenarios and any inconveniences it may have caused to the Office of the Prime Minister.
