The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
By Sarah Namulondo
The Ambassador of Denmark H.E. Dan E. Frederiksen has today announced Denmark’s decision to cutting all funds going to the office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
On behalf of his Country, the Ambassador said that Denmark has zero tolerance towards corruption and the cutting of the funds is a gesture of their discontentment.
On addition to that the ambassador said they will continue giving aid support to their partners involved in good governance, like the human rights commission, the IGG and the Courts of Law.
He said that although they helped Uganda set up organs of good governance since the time of independence they are also currently looking to these institutions to take appropriate action in the follow up of corruption in government institutions which are funded by Denmark.
In a statement, he said that he had met with the Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi, the Minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development, Maria Kiwanuka and they discussed the details in the recent report of the Auditor General.
The Ambassador said that in all the meetings they had together with their development partners, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, they discussed Denmark’s position on the matter.
The cutting of these funds does not come as a surprise because the funds were given specifically to help people in vulnerable conditions but when the funds are abused donors see that their cause for giving funds was not well met.
This comes a few days after Ireland announced that they were cutting all there funds to OPM and only promised to resume after all the issues of corruption have been sorted out.
The Minister for Development Cooperation, Mr. Christian Friis Bach while addressing journalists today said that Denmark demands that all efforts should be made to get to the bottom of this case.
The ambassador also said that the government of Uganda promised to take firm action on all the issues he raised.
The ambassador concluded that he needed assurance that those on-going and additional investigations on corruption, not only in the Office of the Prime Minister but even in other offices should be allowed to go on unhindered.
