I Received Iron Sheets Under NUSAF, Minister Mario Kania Denies Being Beneficiary of Karamoja Iron Sheet Scandal.

After weeks of hire-wired Karamoja iron saga, twenty-two (22) ministers submitted their statements to the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) explaining circumstances under which they received some iron sheets from  Prime Minister's Office.

The list in the media include Hon. Mario Obiga Kania, the Minister of State for Lands, Housing and Urban Development who is also Member of Parliment for Terego East constituency in Terego District.
In reaction to his name that appeared in Monitor together with his picture about ironsheets,  Hon. Minister Kania confidently responded by giving detailed information on how he got his ironsheets.
"As you know in Prime Minister's office,  there are about six functional independent Ministries which do special programs for various areas, there's minister for Karamoja,  there's Minister for Luweero, there's Miniter for Northern Uganda, there's Minister for Relief, Disaster preparedness and Refugees. There are also two  Deputy Prime Ministers and Minister for General Duties'",  Obiga explained and said all of them have budget  for their activities running separately.
Hon  Minister firmly said  under NUSAF- where he falls, last year 2022 he wrote a request to the Prime Minister's Office under NUSAF Northern Uganda, support for ironsheets for some projects and disaster issues  in his constituency (Terego East).

He explained that the Iron sheets were taken to Arua  for distribution by the state minister for Northern Uganda  Hon. Grace Kwiyuucwiny  around  June 24, 2022 and when they were taken their agents were called to sign for the ironsheets.
"It was not only me alone, there were other people  from Maracha Hon. Ruth Lematia, Madi Okollo district woman MP,  Grace Kwiyuucwiny herself for Zombo  was there, Hon. Huda Oleru and Joyce Moriku woman MP for Moyo. The  ironsheets were delivered to these people through their agent", Kania explained.

Hon.Grace Kwiyuucwiny, Huda Oleru ,Joyce Moriku, Hon Kania and others during the distribution of ironsheets.

He said his ironsheets were collected by one called Moses Ajaa who distributed the 492 ironsheets to Maraju Church of Uganda in Otuambari parish, then he gave some to Siripi Catholic church in Imvepi,  he also gave to Jihad Mosque in Okpotani,  Embakua Catholic church in Duku parish was also given and gave others to Masio technical school in Obi parish, in total the  ironsheets were 492 which were clearly marked NUSAF, NOT Karamoja,  NUSAF is "Northern Uganda Social Action Fund",  which is administered by the Minister of State for Northern region in Prime Minister's office  and those were the ironsheets distributed and, "how I got mine, I wrote for them and got them".

492 ironsheets which Kania distributed in Terego

Kania clarified that the iron sheets issue  of Karamoja came up not because  the recipients stole them but said   they were allegedly found selling them and government got concerned, IGG and police were asked to investigate all the distribution of ironsheets from the Prime Minister's office and those of them  who had received under various programs were asked to explain how they got them under what program and whether they distributed them.
"This is exactly what I wrote to IGG and if you mark the statement of the IGG and the news paper of yesterday , it was very clear , it was saying , these are the people who received ironsheets from the Prime Minister's office and they have written to explaine.
In conclusion of his detailed explanation, Obiga  without mincing words, said some of the detractors felt he should not have received those ironsheets or they should have been the ones to receive them are the ones inducing  social media platforms to portray him  that he stole ironsheets but has not stolen.

He reffirmed that this is not his  first time to distribute ironsheets, since he joined politics in 1994, he has been distributing ironsheets and has  distributed over 10,000 ironsheets in that respect to the people of Terego and Terego East.
Kania: " I will continue distributing  more, if I got another opportunity to ask for ironsheets from the Prime Minister or friends and to get from my small savings I  will do because  I want hmy people to move away from normadic kind of grass thatched houses which is  destroyed after 3-4 years".

He said at least he wants his people to  build houses with  ironsheets which can help them  move away and start saving to fight poverty: "I am proud to get the ironsheets for the right  cause".

Source; Today Africa News.