KCCA tasked to account for Covid-19 relief funds

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A joint committee of Parliament has directed Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA to present accountability for 100 million Shillings spent by its five divisions to collect data for the COVID-19 relief beneficiaries.

The joint parliamentary team comprising the Public and Local Government Accounts committees was tasked to review a list of beneficiaries of the COVID-19 relief cash, which was tabled before parliament by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja last month. Under the initiative, the government distributed 100,000 Shillings to 501,107 selected beneficiaries who were classified as vulnerable during the 42 day lockdown which ended previous Friday.

The beneficiaries were identified from groups of people that depend on daily earnings in Kampala, cities, and municipalities across the country. They included bus or taxi drivers, conductors, baggage carriers, wheelbarrow pushers, touts, traffic guides, barmen, DJs, barmaids, waiters and bouncers, bar, gym and restaurant workers, boda boda riders, special hire drivers and Uber drivers, salons, massage parlour workers, teachers, and others.

Kabuye Kyofatogabye, the Minister of State for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs told MPs that each division in Kampala was allocated administrative costs of 20 million Shillings for data collection and processing. The five divisions of Kampala include Makindye, Nakawa, Central, Kawempe and Rubaga.

Kabuye said that starting July 4, 2021, town clerk offices working with the Gombolola and Parish Internal Security Officers identified beneficiaries from the field and forwarded the names to the Internal Security Organisation headquarters for verification. He said that a total of 157,474 beneficiaries were targeted for Kampala and quotas for each division were set. Central was given a target of 7,440, Lubaga 38,981, Nakawa 27,673, Makindye 40,098 and Kawempe 43,282.

Ik County MP Hillary Lokwang demanded that KCCA provides accountability for the 100 million Shillings spent by the five divisions to collect data. He also said that this should be accompanied by lists of the beneficiaries.

Sarah Opendi, the Tororo Woman MP also asked that KCCA provides a record of all the beneficiaries under the categories. She also questioned how the Authority arrived at the 20 million Shillings figure for each division yet some, like Kampala Central had a few beneficiaries.

Abubaker Kawalya, the Lubaga North MP also shared the same sentiment as Lokwang and Opendi.

Following these queries, Asuman Basalirwa, the vice-Chairperson of the Public Accounts Commitee directed the Minister to ensure that accountability for the money is availed to the joint committee, and Kabuye said that accountability would be presented to the committee on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the joint committee also observed that KCCA surpassed the 157,474 beneficiaries that were targeted for Kampala after data presented to the MPs indicated that the five divisions presented lists of 163,953 beneficiaries.

Asked why the data has an excess of 6,479 beneficiaries and where the money to pay them could have come from, Minister Kabuye said that this was a blessing in disguise because Kampala had over 300,000 people who required relief money.

On the source of the extra funds to the beneficiaries, Kabuye said the Ministry of Gender is well placed to know where the money came from because his role was different.

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