Parliament is to investigate circumstances under which over 30 senior government officials shared Shs6 billion, part of the US$434 million ‘saved’ following the conclusion of litigation involving the Uganda government and two oil prospecting companies.
According Parliament’s Director of Information and Public Affairs, Chris Obore, MPs, upon return from the recess, will investigate the ‘oil cash bonanza’ and the Shs67 billion Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) money that was illegally wired to China by Chinese constructors and yet the money was meant for compensating land owners.
Uganda government won an oil case against Heritage Oil Company in London and US $700 million was paid to government coffers.
However, upon winning the case, civil servants involved in the case awarded themselves Shs6 billion, a matter that has caused a public outcry given that some key services in the country are wanting.
“Parliament is going to demand that all those people who got the money should explain because they employed by government and earn a salary,” Mr Obore said.
He added: “The house will also investigate the Cosase (Commission on Statutory and State Enterprises) report relating to how money from UNRA was wired to China when it was meant to compensate people affected by the road projects undertaken by UNRA.
Meanwhile, in a related development, after learning of the imminent investigations, the parties named both in the URA and UNRA sagas have reportedly ganged up and formed an ‘alliance’ to hamper parliament’s investigation process by maligning the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, Mr Obore has said.
“Those supposed to be investigated are now spreading rumours that the Speaker (Kadaga) is going to purchase a helicopter to divert attention from themselves,” Mr Obore told EagleOnline.
He added: “This is just trying to divert the attention after this oil cash bonanza; there is nothing like the Speaker purchasing the helicopter, has it been budgeted for? All in all, this is another white elephant.”
BELOW IS CHRIS OBORE’S STATEMENT:
Parliament has learnt of a scheme to divert public attention from the current debate on the cash share out by senior government officials. The schemers want to divert the public from discussing the payout by URA to allegations that Parliament is planning to buy a helicopter for use by the Speaker. Parliament has also learnt that sections of the media is being courted to give publicity to the alleged nonexistent plans to buy the helicopter. Part of the scheme is to also water down parliament actions when it resumes next Tuesday. Parliament intends to summon all the beneficiaries of the cash bonanza to answer questions and explain their actual role in the Tullow case. In addition, parliament wants to debate the UNRA report and ask senior government officials why and how public funds amounting to Shs67bn ended up in Chinese contractors account in China. To make parliament investigation look less significant, the schemers want to propagate a falsehood that discussions are taking place to buy a helicopter for the Speaker. There is no such a discussion and there is no budget for it. The Speaker’s office is indeed a busy office and most times she attends more than four functions a day in different districts. She borrows a police helicopter whenever need arises. The talk of buying a helicopter is diversionary. While there is a need for it for the office of the Speaker, no one has budgeted for it. Let the public allow parliament to ask government bureaucrats hard questions in regard to public spending, for that is the legitimate duty of Parliament. In any case, if the helicopter was bought for the office of the Speaker, it would remain public property unlike the cash bonanza orchestrated by public servants to their personal benefit.
