As Ugandans are yet to come to terms with the Shs6bn presidential handshake, a new Parliamentary report has unearthed untold corruption acts at Uganda’s Health Ministry.
A report by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) indicates that officials in Health Ministry used the Global Funds scandal to hatch a plan aimed at swindling over Shs2bn from government coffers.
The Angelline Osegge indicates that although Health Ministry indicated that Shs3.2bn was refunded to Global Fund account, Parliamentary investigations revealed that only Shs1.8bn was refunded to Global Fund. This means that Health Ministry officials used tax payer’s money to refund Global Fund money and much of it was swindled.
The report, obtained by Business Focus, adds that the Health Ministry was able to recover only Shs23.4m from the individuals involved and remitted it to the Consolidated Fund.
PAC’s investigations followed audit queries raised in the 2014/2015 Auditor General’s report to Parliament.
Consequently, the Committee has ordered the Ministry to expeditiously collect the money from all the individuals implicated in the Auditor General’s report.
The report also reveals that Shs274.9m extended to officials under the Uganda Sanitation Fund Project has not been accounted for.
Shockingly, while over Shs1.3bn was found on the Sanitation Fund project account, it wasn’t reflected anywhere in the ministry’s financial statement, something that could be a tip of the iceberg of gross corruption taking place in the health sector.
The report adds that the Ministry has failed to utilize Shs5.8bn meant for Tuberculosis related illnesses treatment yet many Ugandans are dying from the virus.
Health Ministry officials have also adamantly refused to account for Shs616.3m, an indication that the purported activities weren’t undertaken, the report says. It should be noted that the headquarters of health ministry gutted fire early this year and reports claimed that officials within the ministry set the building ablaze in order to destroy evidence of the gross corruption at the ministry.
Note: Further details of the report will be shared
