The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Matia Kasaija has revealed that most people he works with at the Ministry are corrupt and its one of the reasons why he makes mistakes.
Speaking during a news interview on CBS FM on Friday, the Buyanja County Member of Parliament said the public has hated him thinking that all the fouls in the ministry of Finance are made by him yet the biggest percentage of workers he has are selfish and corrupt who care less for the country.
“I have not failed at my job but the people I’m working with are very corrupt, I don’t mean all of them but those who can selflessly work for this country are very few in my ministry. The public is in the business of blaming me but nobody can work with technical officers who are selfish and be appreciated,” he said.
Kasaija added that he is ever busy in meetings and other ministerial duties and expects the Ministry’s technocrats to do their work but the public thinks he must endorse each and every document his ministry receives.
“if I had or I have good people all these issues would not be there.And those calling for my resignation must be joking I’m I the only minister who does mistakes? I’m I God? I’m worse than those who steal drugs? And how have they been handled? Don’t even waste my time.”
Kasaija’s remarks follow his recent submission that he did a mistake of approving Shs10.6 billion to compensate land claimants in Buganda and Bunyoro sub-regions in the Financial Year 2020/2021.
While appearing before the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) on Tuesday, 31 May 2022,Kasaija admitted that the request for the supplementary was illegal and erroneously approved without following the rightful procedures in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act, 2015. He went ahead and faulted his technical staff for misguiding him into approving a supplementary request which was not initiated by the end-user agency.
He further proposed that the committee summons the then Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, to explain some of the illegalities surrounding the said supplementary.
However, Kasaija’s submission prompted some members of the committee to call for his resignation. These included Mityana District Woman Representative, Hon. Joyce Bagala who asked the Minister to reign over his ‘misleading’ technical staff and resign if he feels overwhelmed by government duties.
“It sounds to me that the minister is overwhelmed by the work he is doing and if he feels so, then he should resign. And if you [minister] feel the technical officers have failed you, then why not take action against them because it is not the first time you have told this committee that your technical staff has failed you,” Bagala said.
COSASE chairperson, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi asked Kasaija why he did not read these documents and do proper due diligence before signing them.
“Your signature is a very powerful one because it releases money and so on. You should have done due diligence by being sure who is initiating the supplementary and the whereabouts of the presidential directive.”
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