URN.The trouble started when the Committee led by Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Bardege-Layibi Division MP, tasked Joan Mughuma, the Ntoroko District Principal Human Resources Officer to explain why the verification forms of 50 employees and copies of their verification cards were not on their personal files at the time of the audit.
There was drama in Conference Hall B in Parliament Tuesday afternoon when the Ntoroko LC 5 Chairperson, Williams Kasoro, and Ntoroko County MP Gerald Rwemulikya Ibanda, clashed before the Public Accounts Committee- PAC Local Government over governance issues in the district.
Kasoro had shown up before the committee in the company of his technical team to respond to queries relating to internal weaknesses such as under absorption of funds, underpayment of salary, and unauthorized loan deductions raised by the Auditor General in the FY 2020/2021.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-1885173889378683&output=html&h=345&adk=1590975256&adf=1765694914&pi=t.aa~a.3933768198~i.3~rp.1&w=414&lmt=1658251015&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=9833304535&psa=1&ad_type=text_image&format=414×345&url=https%3A%2F%2Fugandaradionetwork.net%2Fstory%2Fntoroko-lc5-chairperson-area-mp-clash-before-pac-&fwr=1&pra=3&rh=320&rw=384&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&sfro=1&wgl=1&fa=27&dt=1658251015050&bpp=4&bdt=1719&idt=4&shv=r20220718&mjsv=m202207140101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3Df673dcf29e716676-22fa0ff5cfcd00e5%3AT%3D1658146801%3ART%3D1658146801%3AS%3DALNI_MYMCHLIWk3Ke0xT8tP2Mkp0uYlm-Q&gpic=UID%3D00000789c2467025%3AT%3D1658249344%3ART%3D1658249344%3AS%3DALNI_MY1wp3-NQOlvPPnvS61C9Acl6YyJA&prev_fmts=384×1417%2C414x345%2C0x0%2C414x345&nras=3&correlator=2253431213941&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=394590582.1657529785&ga_sid=1658251015&ga_hid=198570653&ga_fc=1&u_tz=180&u_his=6&u_h=896&u_w=414&u_ah=896&u_aw=414&u_cd=32&u_sd=2&adx=0&ady=1746&biw=414&bih=715&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759875%2C44759926%2C44759842%2C44763506%2C31068472%2C31060048%2C42531605%2C31062930&oid=2&pvsid=1329926602893456&tmod=1617889652&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fugandaradionetwork.net%2Fa%2Farchive.php%3FstatusId%3D4%26message%5B%5D%3D5&eae=0&fc=384&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C414%2C0%2C414%2C896%2C414%2C715&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=6&uci=a!6&btvi=3&fsb=1&xpc=K1UxxDQ4eZ&p=https%3A//ugandaradionetwork.net&dtd=17
The technical officials included Anselm Kyaligonza, the former CAO, Lawrence Bitwiremmwa, the Chief Finance Officer, John Paul Bwambale, the Senior Accountant, Joan Mughuma, the Principal Human Resources Officer and Richard Kakukur, a Civil Engineer. The others are Winfrey Kemigisa, the Senior Human Resource Officer, Rude Wilson, the Acting District Health Officer, Jolam Bwembale, Cashier, and the District Education Officer, Mubarak Masereka.
The trouble started when the Committee led by Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Bardege-Layibi Division MP, tasked Joan Mughuma, the Ntoroko District Principal Human Resources Officer to explain why the verification forms of 50 employees and copies of their verification cards were not on their personal files at the time of the audit.
It also emerged that over 200 employees of the District were recruited without the involvement of the District Service Commission – DSC, a thing Mughuma failed to explain. This prompted the Committee to accuse the LC 5 Chairperson of failing to initiate the formation of the District Service Commission because the tenure of the previous Commission expired in May 2021.
In his response, Kasoro told the Committee that his attempts to search for appointees to the commission were frustrated on political grounds. He particularly singled out the Ntoroko County MP, Gerald Rwemulikya Ibanda, a member of PAC as one of the key political actors who watered down his efforts to institute the District Service Commission.
Rwemulikya rebutted the accusations, saying that his differences with the Chairman are related to different work methods, which has sparked off unnecessary feuds.
Tempers flared as the two politicians kept trading accusations to the amusement of the committee members. Kumi Woman MP, Christine Apolot raised a procedural matter imploring the Committee Chairperson to prevail and rule two individuals out of order.
Mapenduzi ruled that the conduct exhibited by the duo is a manifestation of bigger and underlying governance problems retarding service delivery in Ntoroko. He directed the Committee to visit the District in August to investigate the matter further.
Mapenduzi also revealed investigations by the police and State House Anti-Corruption Unit – SHACU revealed that during the absence of the District Service Commission, technocrats such as the CAO and politicians including the LC V Chairperson, Councillors, and some MPs fraudulently fronted their relatives, friends, and in-laws to fill the existing vacant positions.
