OPM officials using Karamoja to amass illicit wealth – Napak leaders
Officials from the Presidential Affairs Committee during a meeting with leaders from Karamoja Sub-region on February 27, 2023.PHOTO/SIMON PETER EMWAMU
What you need to know:
- Mr Jack Byaruhanga, the chief administration officer of Napak District, said people believe that a lot of money and resources are being sent to Karamoja, which has incited other regions against Karamoja.
- Dr Gorreti M Kulume, the Napak District veterinary officer, said 13,507 goats were supplied, but the district chairperson Paul Kodet said more than 70 percent died.
Leaders in Napak District have said officials in the Office of the Prime Minister are using Karamoja to amass illicit wealth under the guise of transforming the sub-region.
The officials made the remarks during a meeting with members of Presidential Affairs Committee of Parliament on Tuesday.
The members of the committee include vice chairperson Naome Kabasharira (Rushenyi County), Buhaguzi East MP Stephen Aseera, Tepeth County MP Albert Lokoru Ekorrita, and Kagadi District Woman MP Janepher Mbabazi Kyomuhendo.
Black Chinese: A thorn in Karamoja’s mining business
Mr Paul Kodet, the Napak District chairperson, said a commission should be instituted to oversee the structuring of OPM, adding that the genesis of the iron sheets and goat “theft” started in OPM.
“To this day, we shouldn’t be having the ministers of Karamoja [Affairs] in those dockets because there is overwhelming evidence in the disappearance of the iron sheets,” Mr Kodet said.
He said if he were the President, the ministers and officials who presided over the “theft” of the relief items would have been punished, made to pay and forced to resign.
He added that it is going to be hard for them to convince the people of Karamoja of the good that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has done because the little meant for them is being stolen.
“Of the Shs39.9b that was allocated as supplementary, we have not received even a single iron sheet. Some goats have not been delivered to date. When we followed up, we were told to wait for another supplementary [budget],” Mr Kodet said.
He said the goats and iron sheets were part of a President’s pledge to the Karachunas (youth) to keep them from raiding other communities.
Mr Jack Byaruhanga, the chief administration officer of Napak District, said people believe that a lot of money and resources are being sent to Karamoja, which has incited other regions against Karamoja.
He said a forensic audit should be carried out on the supplementary budget that was meant for Karamoja relief aid, adding that the food that was delivered is not equal to the Shs70b allocated.
“We had scenarios where trailers would come to the sub-county carrying five tonnes of posho and two tonnes of beans,” Mr Byaruhanga said.
He said of the 14 sub-counties in Napak District, only seven received food.
Ms Fardosa Ahamed, the deputy resident district commissioner, said: “For how long must the country continue to watch Karamoja projects being mismanaged yet the sub-region remains backward?”
She said OPM must show transparency by working within the guidelines of the Ministry of Public Service.
“We have had enough of crafty people in OPM. May we have sanity return. The goats that were distributed show that there was connivance to fleece taxpayer’s money. The bidding process was not followed, yet if the procurement process was done, the mess we are in today would be avoided,” Ms Ahamed said.
She added: “We need people to be accountable on this, it will be good if action is taken.”
Dr Gorreti M Kulume, the Napak District veterinary officer, said 13,507 goats were supplied, but the district chairperson Paul Kodet said more than 70 percent died.
She said 1,191 were never supplied and are not accounted for.
Ms Kulume also said some companies were diverted to supply products to Napak and yet they were not on the district supply list.
Mr Itaza said Karamoja should be allowed to determine its destiny by having sustainable programmes using indigenous knowledge.
He said all interactions they have held show that there is no value for money in the process of distributing the iron sheets and goats.
He added that the districts don’t know how many of the goats are still alive.
Ms Mbabazi said the theft of the relief items is a setback to peace in the sub-region, adding that the items were meant to give these people a new lease of life.
Ms Kabasharira said in Moroto, 287 Karachunas were meant to receive 26 pieces of iron sheets each but only 650 iron sheets were delivered.
Ms Kabasharira said the district veterinary officers were not financially empowered to execute vaccination and monitoring of the goats, which left the majority dead, each Karachuna was to receive 16 goats.
List of companies that supplied Napak,Moroto
Napak suppliers
Amuria farmers - 1,000 of East African goats
Teso general investments - 1,000 East African goats
Peace investments - 1,000 East African goats
Fash - 1,800 Gala goats from Kenya
Raf Net - 2,000 female Gala goats
Ademari - 2,000 Gala goats
Lark & Luck - 2,000 Gala goats
Hendea, from Bukedea 800 east African goats
Busyoro 1, 000 east African goats.
Moroto suppliers
Early man capital - 1,000 goats
Lakwar investment Ltd - 1,000
Kakise holdings Ltd - 1,000
Combine holdings Ltd - 1,000
Tusam enterprise Uganda Ltd - 3,000
Lark and Luck co.Ltd - 640
Fash enterprise -700
Dr Gorreti M Kulume, the Napak District veterinary officer, said there were meant to be nine suppliers but Lark & Lack, which was meant to have supplied Kotido District, was diverted to supply to them.
She said Napak District did not participate in the procurement process for these companies.
“We were only told to work with the suppliers and ensure the beneficiaries receive goats,” she said.
We had not spoken to the companies by press time.
Mr Tony Emmy Ameny, an acting commissioner in Ministry of Karamoja Affairs, said each parish out of the 477 parishes in Karamoja as of the 2019-2020 UBSO records, was meant to have seven beneficiaries.
He said each beneficiary was supposed to receive 26 pieces of iron sheet, 22 meant for constructing houses and four for constructing pit latrines.
Mr Ameny confirmed that close to 86,814 pieces of iron sheets were supposed to be delivered on the launch of the programme last year, but only 1,000 pieces of iron sheets were handed over to the Karachunas .
For the goats, he said the entire sub-region should have received close to 53, 524 goats, that is what we had budgeted.
Karachunas speak out
Michael Loule, resident of Lokiteded Town Council, Napak District, told this publication that the 16 goats he received died because they came with a lot of deformities and looked emaciated.
“The iron sheets that the President promised have become a song, but we hear that his ministers “ate” the iron sheets.”
John Lokwii, a resident of Lokitela Village, Napugurei Parish, Napak District, said the goats that came with sickness died but also “contaminated” the native goats which also started to die.
“We are waiting for our iron sheets. We shall petition the President through our leaders.”
Simon Lokit: Resident of Matany, said: “After I returned the gun, to this day, I am still waiting for the iron sheets to start a new life. That new life is yet to happen because those holding the iron sheets are not releasing them to us.”
