The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Five Omoro district officials have been implicated for discrepancies in the utilization of funds allocated towards the management of Nodding Disease Syndrome.
This follows an investigation undertaken by the Inspectorate of Government into alleged mismanagement of nodding disease syndrome and Capacity Building funds by Omoro district officials and the Health Department.
The implicated officers include Denis Loka Lakony, the In-charge Omoro District Stores and Justine Ojok, a Clinical Officer, who are accused of negligently receiving blankets of wrong specifications for distribution for Nodding Disease victims. The blankets were supplied by Aboja construction and General Supplies Ltd, a company awarded a contract to supply assorted food and non-food items worth 49 million Shillings to the district.
The goods were delivered and received in June 2018. However, during the verification, it was established that the district ordered for 210 pieces of 2-kilogram blankets at 42,000 Shillings each, but received 1 Kg blankets at the same price.
George Bamugemereire, the Deputy Inspector General of Government has said that the duos act exposed public funds to losses and resulted in the beneficiaries receiving low-quality blankets. The Inspectorate of Government also implicated a number of other personnel for failing to account for money disbursed for monitoring of activities. They include Patrick Abonga, the Managing Director of the firm who admitted they supplied blankets of a wrong specification.
Omoro Acting District Health Officer – DHO Robert Ongom is also implicated for failing to account for more than 2 million shillings, part of the money advanced to him for re-opening the NDS Centre and facilitating coordination meetings.
Ongom allegedly received two separate advances of 600,000 Shillings and 1.8 million Shillings respectively. But at the time of the investigation, he had paid out 375,000 as allowances leaving more than two million Shillings unaccounted for.
The Inspectorate’s findings further revealed that Florence Acen, the Assistant CAO received 832,000 Shillings for civic monitoring of Nodding Syndrome activities. Of this amount, 272,000 was paid in allowances while 560,000 was deposited at a fuel station pending activity implementation. But the fuel was consumed by motorcycles before the monitoring was done.
Caroline Nyakorach, the Secretary for Health and Education also received 1.8 million Shillings for the facilitation of political monitoring of Nodding Syndrome activities. Of this amount, 184,000 was not accounted for, according to a report dated October 12, from the Inspectorate of Government.
Now, the Inspectorate of Government has directed the Chief Administrative Officer has asked the Chief Administrative Officer John Bosco Akera to effect disciplinary action against the implicated officials.
“In view of the above findings, you should inform this office of action taken in respect of this matter within 45 days from receipt of this letter”, Bamugemereire directed the CAO in conclusion.
Early this year, Omoro District Council Speaker Damascus Odong suspended Douglas Peter Okello Okao, the District Chairman for allegedly failing to provide accountability for NDS funds.
On June 30 2018, the Ministry of Health deposited 170 million Shillings to Omoro District Health Department Account as supplementary funding to Nodding Disease Syndrome Emergency Response. The funds were to be utilized between July – October 2018.
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