When accounting officers of government ministries and agencies gathered at State House Entebbe last Tuesday, they got a stern warning from President Museveni: engage in corruption and the consequences will be dire.
At the same meeting, the accounting officers also spilled beans about ministers, their political bosses. Museveni told the PSs that he had information that some accounting officers collude with politicians to swindle public funds.
“Someone inflates the cost of a project because he knows there is some benefit. This must stop,” our sources quoted Museveni as having told the permanent secretaries.
Museveni told the accounting officers to be at the forefront of routing out graft.
“Accounting officers are foot soldiers in this struggle and should do everything in their means to better this country,” Museveni reportedly said.
In November, the High court found Jimmy Lwamafa, the former permanent secretary in the ministry of Public Service, and two others, guilty of causing government a financial loss of Shs 88 billion in what famously came to be known as the pension scam. He was sentenced to seven years in prison although he has appealed the judgment.
According to our sources, some PSs told the president that they need “his protection” from some of his political appointees who undermine them. The PSs told the president that some ministers invoke his name whenever they want to sign some money, leading to clashes at office.
But the president told them to resist any pressure from the political class.
“The constitution gives you this protection and I will support you for as long as you are doing the right thing,” Museveni said, adding, “I know how to handle the politicians.”
Over the years, a number of PSs have clashed with ministers. When Hilary Onek was minister for Energy and Mineral Development, he clashed with his accounting officer Kabagambe Kaliisa over findings of a commission instituted to investigate Umeme, the power distributor.
Onek wanted Umeme’s contract terminated after the commission questioned its investments, a move Kaliisa vehemently opposed. Museveni later moved Onek to the ministry of Internal Affairs.
More recently this year, Dr Asuman Lukwago, the former permanent secretary in the ministry of Health, clashed with Ruth Aceng, the senior minister over a number of issues. Lukwago was recently moved to the Education Service Commission.
In the meeting with Museveni, the PSs also complained about the sporadic budget cuts which make it difficult for them to implement some planned programmes. Museveni lectured the officers on the economy and reiterated his desire to have the country achieve a middle-income status. He said this effort must be led by, among others, permanent secretaries.
“We can’t keep a peasant population in a modern era; otherwise we risk extinction. We can’t have a generation of peasants produce another generation of peasants,” he said.
A statement from State House said during the meeting, Museveni implored the accounting officers to source some of the goods locally. This, he said, would save the foreign exchange that is used to import foreign manufactured goods.
Museveni said that accounting officers occupy a special place in the civil service because they are the controllers of government money, contracts and supervisors of personnel.
Don Wanyama, the senior presidential press secretary, told The Observer yesterday that he could not readily confirm Museveni’s comments on graft and other issues discussed in the meeting.
“I will need to see the video recording [of the meeting] to confirm what you are saying,” Wanyama, who is out of the country, said.
ekiggundu@observer.ug