Kasese district officials deny misuse of funds

Kasese district officials deny misuse of funds

Three Kasese District Local Government officials accused of alleged misuse of funds for a Gravity Water Flow Scheme have dismissed the reports as false and un researched .

The District Chief Finance Officer [CFO] Ferigo Kambale, Charles Police Mugisa the former chairperson of the Contracts Committee and the District Water Engineer Olweny Lamu stormed The New Vision in Kasese on Wednesday saying the reports were false and un researched.

The Sh. 720 million worth Gravity Flow Scheme is located in Mahango the sub-county comprising the steep mountains overlooking Kasese Municipality.

The trio were responding to a story in the January 10 Sunday Vision edition in which the Kasese Resident District Commissioner Captain James Mwesigye was quoted as ordering the police to arrest the three senior district officials..

“Yes, the RDC’s concerns were genuine . But he hurried in saying what he said because by that time the water project was not yet declared functional”, the trio said almost in chorus.

Earlier, the RDC had received reports from the general public in Mahango sub-county that there was no water flowing through the supply taps of the Gravity Water project system.

The RDC visited the affected area to see for himself and confirm the reports the basis on which he ordered police to take statements from the concerned district officials.

A source in the C.I.D .department at Kasese District Police headquarters confirmed that the trio on the orders of the RDC were called to police to make statements

Police later dispatched a team of investigators who went to Mahango and took pictures at various stand pipes, the police source who said he was not supposed to talk to the Press said on Wednesday [January 13].

The District Water Engineer said, “I had not even issued the Certificate of Verification because all of us were waiting to see if the contractor had done the expected work”, Olweny Lamu claimed.

The CFO said, ‘No money is released without the knowledge of the Chief Administrative Officer and I trust the working methods of the CAO”, Kambale said.

At that time, the deputy CAO Willy Bataringaya was the acting Chief Administrative Officer because the incumbent CAO Giles Kahika was on interdiction over allegations that he had got involved in recruitment of ghost Local Administration Police officers a case that was later waived off and reassumed office. MORE
John B.B.Nzinjah in Kasese 13/01/2010 Kasese district officials deny misuse of funds

The former chairperson of the Contracts Committee, Charles Police Mugisa explained that the contract to construct the gravity flow scheme was genuinely given to a Kasese based company called RUDO Investments Ltd

The New Vision attempts to locate the offices of the company in Kasese town were futile but sources said that the company was owned by two people one called Ruth and another known as Dorothy hence the name of the company RUDO Investments Ltd.

In a telephone contact an official in the Auditor General’s Office in Kasese said, “We are aware of the allegations but we cannot talk to the press and please do not attempt to reveal my name”.

“The RDC acted so early because the Water Engineer had not yet written to say the project had been completed and functional. He should have waited”, a member of the District Public Accounts Committee said but asked to be anonymous because the issue was still with police.

In a face to face contact with The New Vision, the chairperson of Mahango sub-county Community Project Implementation Committee Jackson Mbabo said, “According to the explanation of the Water Engineer, there had been a small mistake with the design of the scheme because after it was corrected, water is flowing and the people have no complaint”.

He said the scheme was designed to have 40 tap stands and that the source was supposed to release 2litres of water per second. “But the volume of water was not enough to adequately feed the number of stands rendering several of the tap stands starved”, Mbabo said.

Mbabo said that district had also later taped two other sources and integrated them into the main source of the scheme.

“And I think the people are happy enjoying the fruits of the NRM government. I do not see why there should be any farce about the project. We want harmony. I am even going now to tell the RDC that the problem had been handled and corrected”.
By John B.B.Nzinjah in Kasese 13/01/2010