PAC Institutes investigations on Covid19 relief cash fraud in Gulu City

GULU – The Parliamentary Accounts Committee has instituted investigations into the alleged fraud on the identification and registration of the beneficiaries of Covid-19 relief cash in Gulu city.

Gulu City Council Authorities were on Tuesday subjected to an investigation to provide evidence on the registration of beneficiaries following multiple complaints arising from the public by the committee.

The investigations uncovered irregularities, manipulation of data and extortion of money from beneficiaries whose names were approved for the relief cash.

The committee also established evidence on quite a number of beneficiaries who were occupants in the rural areas but were smuggled in the city to receive the relief cash.

The government’s security arm, the Internal Security Organization (ISO) revealed that the first beneficiary, Godfrey Oloya, whom the Prime Minister called to confirm his receipt of the money was purported to be a boda-boda operator.

Oloya has been confirmed to be a mason (builder) from Pece Prison Ward who was registered as a vulnerable boda-boda operator in Gulu City.

Meanwhile, the evidence also confirmed that the former Chairperson of the then Layibi division, Alfred Oluba equally received the money under the pretext of a vulnerable taxi driver.

Justine Otto, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Gulu West Boda-boda Association revealed that, of more than 270 boda-boda operators who were registered, only 36 of them were genuine operators.

The same manipulation has also reportedly occurred in the transport sector where names of the vulnerable transporters disappeared.

According to Gody Odong, the Chairperson Gulu Special Hire Transporters Association, only 20 of the 103 vulnerable members received the relief cash.

At Awere cell in Laroo-Pece division, Francis Odongo, the area Local Council One (LC1) in a testimony to the committee revealed that only 5 of the 90 registered vulnerable persons received the Covid-19 relief funds.

None of the vulnerable persons from Kasubi cell and Kay B in Bardege-Layibi division with more than 360 registered persons received the funds as names were reportedly misplaced.

Robert Okwonga, the Local Council One (LC1) for Kasubi Goan Quarters blamed the mess on the Town Agent assigned in the area and the area Local Councillor Four (LCIV), Geoffrey Akena.

After about 20 minutes of scrutiny, Akena confessed to the committee that the registration in the area was done by one Sarah Akello, his political assistant.

The preliminary investigations further discovered how both the technocrats and the political leaders breached the registration guidelines and smuggled in their relatives and loved ones.

The report further says, some of the data entrants were extorting Shs 30,000 from each beneficiary before submitting their names to the final lists.

The city authorities who were subjected to provide details failed to account for the process, something which annoyed the committee who instructed immediate further investigations.

While more local leaders tendered in evidence of the alleged fraud in the process, the Resident City Commissioner (RCC) could not help but justify his limitation to monitor the program to the committee.

When the committee asked him to explain, Denis Odwong Odongpiny was mute for a moment to speak but later maintained to the team that his participation into the process was limited.

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“The council informed me that the process would be handled by the technocrats and when I assigned my intelligent officers to monitor the process, they later reported work well done; but if this arm of government let me down, then I take the responsibility,” Odongpiny added.

With mounting pressure in the house, the burden of explanation and proof then shifted to the office of the Town Clerk as represented by the Deputy Xavia Obwona who declined to speak.

“My participation was very limited and I can’t tell you much about the registration but what I can see clearly is that our lists of beneficiaries aren’t matching with the those who received the funds,” Obwona noted.

The Assistant Town Clerk for Laroo-Pece division, Gilbert Oloya, says the time allocated for the registration was limited but admitted that the data entry was complicated though he could not justify.

The data entrant for Patuda Cell, Irene Apiyo who was a former Secretary in the Office of Gulu District Speaker tendered in evidence implicating the division mayor for Bardege-Layibi division, Patrick Oola Lumumba for influencing the process of the registration.

In her testimony, Apiyo told the committee that she received names of teachers from the Mayor who instructed her to include them in the final lists of the beneficiaries.

While more evidence emerged citing the irregularities onto the process, the committee then ordered for prosecution and the investigations thereafter commenced.

The Parliamentary Accounts Committee criminal investigative arm led by Detective Juliet Mutuwa already recorded statements from two suspects while seven more who were equally summoned were yet to record their statements.

Already, Francis Odongo, the LC1 of Awere Cell and Irene Apiyo, the data clerk for Patuda cell in Bardege- Layibi division have recorded their statements.

Those equally summoned and were to record statements include; the city town clerk and his deputy, two assistant town clerks for Laroo-Pece and Bardege- Layibi division, Town Agent David Tokwiny, the area Councillor IV Kasubi cell, Geoffrey Akena and his political assistant Sarah Akello.

The detective later disclosed in an interview with theCooperator that the team has taken keen interest in Arua city, Gulu and Lira to establish the facts about the registration process.

Amos Okot, the area Member of Parliament for Agago North, a member of the committee also disclosed to theCooperator that more 1,400 persons registered in Gulu city had their names misplaced under yet unclear circumstances that parliament had already taken up as evidence of fraud.

Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Member of Parliament for Bardege-Layibi division who doubles as the Chairperson of Parliamentary Accounts Committee on Local Government revealed that the preliminary findings point out a complete mess in the process.

“There is a clear indication of manipulation of the data, fraud and extortion of money in the process and the problem we have experienced in Gulu is much bigger than elsewhere” Ojara added.

However, as the country announced its second lockdown to curtail the new wave of the Covid-19 infections, the government through the Office of the Prime Minister mapped out 250,553 vulnerable persons for relief cash support where each was to receive Shs 100,000.

In his address early this year, President Museveni said the Office of the Prime Minister alongside the Ministry for Gender Labour and Social Development would identify vulnerable Ugandans living in cities and municipalities whose livelihoods were affected by the measure taken by the government to curtail the spread of Covid-19.

Gulu city registered 11,618 people deemed vulnerable to receive the government fund. In Laroo Pece division, a total of 6,549 were registered and 6,476 received the funds while the remaining 73 who did not have phone numbers and national Identity Cards (IDs) are yet to receive their money. In Bardege -Layibi division, a total of 5,069 were registered and 4, 996 received the relief fund.

However, according to Laroo-Pece division Mayor, Geoffrey Otim, more than 3,000 persons missed out on the support.

“It’s unfortunate the technocrats have persuaded the Prime Minister to believe that the funds reached the intended beneficiaries and this is the country we are dealing with,” Ojara added.

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