EXPOSED! Relief Items Scandal Widens, 25 billion Shillings for goats project swindled by Ministry for karamoja Affairs.

The Minister for Karamoja, Maria Goretti Kitutu, is facing allegations of mismanaging relief cash and items for the region. Investigations have revealed that iron sheets, marked ‘for Office of the Prime Minister,’ were found at Kitutu’s relatives’ homes in Manafwa, where she is the district Woman MP. However, the probe has now widened to other regions outside Karamoja, where the same relief items have been discovered, and several top government officials have been implicated.

Among the bosses under investigation are a top official in Parliament, a top politician at OPM, several ministers, and MPs. The relief items have reportedly been cited in Kakumiro district, where iron sheets marked ‘for Office of the Prime Minister’ were used to roof a house for one of the area politician’s mother and a hotel. They have also been found in Bududa, Bukedea, and other areas within Busoga, western and eastern Uganda.

Under the affirmative action programme, Shs39 billion was approved by Parliament through a supplementary budget for the pacification of Karamoja, and another Shs135 billion was approved for the procurement of relief food, which has since been grossly mismanaged. Legislators from Karamoja sub-region allege that at least Shs22 billion out of the Shs39 billion was not delivered to the intended beneficiaries. The Ministry of Karamoja says it spent 25 billion Shillings to purchase goats, yet on the ground, only 35 per cent of the goats have been supplied to the vulnerable beneficiary youth and women groups.

The MPs now want forensic audits conducted on both the procurement and distribution of these relief items—iron sheets and goats to the intended beneficiaries as well as the food stores in Namalu Prison Farm. They have also petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to institute a Select Committee to conduct an independent and in-depth investigation into the allegations to establish the facts.