Chairpersons of 12 newly created 12 administrative units in Namisindwa district are accusing the Chief Administrative Officer of mismanaging the startup funds disbursed by the government. The government operationalized the administrative units comprising eight sub-counties and four town councils, last year.
The Ministry of Finance allocated each sub-county Shillings 31million and town council Shillings 50 million as a start-up fund. According to the expenditure guidelines issued by the ministry, the money was meant to facilitate the payment of salaries for LC III chairpersons and technical staff, the honoraria of councilors, and finance other council activities.
However, in Namisindwa district, the chairpersons claim that the CAO only disbursed Shillings 21 million to town councils and Shillings 8.8 million to sub-counties instead of the Shillings 50 million and 20 million allocated to the units respectively. They accuse the Chief Administrative Officer-CAO Franco Olaboro for mismanaging part of the money.
In their July 26th, 2022, to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the chairpersons demand an explanation from the CAO on why they didnt receive the entire sum as allocated.
“Fortunately all the technical staffs in these units were already on the government pay roll and earning salary. whereas the ministry of finance had released all the money as appropriated by parliament, CAO Namisindwa instead of releasing the said money to lower local governments as appropriated by parliament, released 8.8M instead of 31M to sub counties and 21,019,526 instead of 50m to town council.
As leaders this became a big concern since our colleagues and neighbors in Manafwa district have received all the money” the letter reads in part. Moses Mutambo Wayira, the Bubutu town council LC III Chairperson, says that he recieved only Shillings 21 million out of the Shillings 50 million allocated, which affected their efforts to start up the town council.
Anthony Mwenyi, the LC III Chairperson for Bukhawka town council, says that they were supposed to use part of the money to construct the town council offices whose works have now stalled because of lack of money.
Joseph Hisa, the LCV Councilorof Bukhaweka town council, says that all the technical staff posted to the new units were already on the payroll so it was unnecessary for the CAO to say that he was paying them using the startup fund.
Olaboro has not yet commented as his two known mobile phone numbers were unreachable le by the time of filing this story.
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