How Poverty Turned Catholic Priests, Civil Servants into Masquerading as Boda Boda Riders and Cobblers in Order to Benefit from the Covid-19 Relief Fund in Westnile Region - Uganda.

 During the appearance of the public account committee yesterday at Parliament, the Arua city local leadership headed by the Resident City Commissioner Alice Akello admitted that there were irregularities with the lists of COVID-19 relief fund beneficiaries. The beneficiaries included bus or taxi drivers, conductors, baggage carriers, wheelbarrow pushers, touts, traffic guides, barmen, DJs, barmaids, waiters and bouncers, gym and restaurant workers, boda-boda riders, special hire drivers and Uber drivers, salons, massage parlor workers, and others.

The local leadership was appearing before the Local Government Accounts Committee of Parliament chaired by Ojara Martin Mapenduzi, the Member of Parliament for Bardege-Layibi division, Gulu City.

According to Ojara, there were number of irregularities registered during the exercise; the data entrant officers included their names and that of their friends in the list, faults were also recorded where others registered as cobblers including a religious priest from Adumi Catholic Parish and a Boda boda cyclist yet they are not.

“We were also able to find out that there were a number of officers including those responsible for entering the names on computers, they entered their own names and that of their relatives who were endowed with different identities.”

Feta Geoffrey, the Member of Parliament Ayivu East Division who is a member of Local government Public account committee castigates the deputy town clerk Arua city and calls for the law to take its course.

“Technocrats and the data entrant officers who are not even the government and supervised the town clerk should be punished for their actions.”

Feta disclosed that the government allocated millions to facilitate data collection and there was no need for the technocrats to include their names among the targeted beneficiaries of the fund.

“The office of the Prime Minister allocated shs. 4 million for facilitating the work (of data collection). What the technocrats have done is unacceptable and it is corruption of the highest order.”

Mapenduzi added that his committee started scrutinizing the list of beneficiaries after it was directed by the deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and given terms of reference following the tabling before Parliament, the list of beneficiaries who have received the Covid-19 relief cash by Prime Minister Robinah Nabanjja to ensure proper accountability and transparency

“Were given terms of reference among which include; policy frame work, establish criteria used by government in determining the categories of beneficiaries, the method of disbursement, how money was sent, the registration process, find out whether money was sent to them, to find out how much money was sent to each of the beneficiaries, to find out whether the intended beneficiaries received the money the last was to pay attention to any other matter that may arise.”

On 21, July 2021, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja tabled before Parliament a list of beneficiaries who have received the COVID-19 relief cash. She said that the list was meant to ensure accountability and transparency.

The same list was then referred to Parliament’s Accountability Committee-PAC Central Government and the Local Government Accountability Committee by Deputy Speaker Anita Among for scrutiny and expected to report back to parliament as soon as possible.

However, Mapenduzi said what is bigger in this is report from government is why Arua City was only given 3,000 beneficiaries compared to other cities like Mbarara, Lira, Gulu and Mbarara.

“The government did not do a good service in coming up with the number of people to benefit from the fund and they question why Arua was only given 3,000 slots of beneficiaries compared to other cities. Mbarara was given 19,000 beneficiaries, Gulu 11,000 beneficiaries, 9,000 beneficiaries and Mbale 10,000 beneficiaries.”

The government on July 8, 2021, launched the distribution of 100,000 Shillings Covid-19 relief cash to vulnerable Ugandans affected by the 42-day lockdown announced by President Yoweri Museveni to interrupt the spread of coronavirus.

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