The Nakaseeke South Member of Parliament Luttamaguzi Sssemakula who also doubles as deputy chairperson of the Public Accounts (Local Government) Committee of Parliament said the parliament is to investigate covid-19 relief cash distribution process which he said was a sham.
He said that many stakeholders of the relief process were sidelined, undermining the integrity of the whole exercise.
Luttamaguzi made these remarks while appearing in an interview with NBS TV, yesterday afternoon.
“We have been interfacing officials from UBOS and they told us that they were not part of the process, this was a shock to many of the MPs but it did not come as news to me, we are used,” Luttamaguzi said.
Luttamaguzi said that it came to their notice that many of the intended beneficiaries of the relief aid did not receive the money despite government’s claim that over 95% of the vulnerable received aid.
Luttamaguzi said that the whole process was a ‘sham’ and all government entities involved have failed to offer conclusive accountability.
Luttamaguzi said that the public committee members will on Monday traverse all the urban areas to assess how many of the intended beneficiaries of the relief aid actually received it.
“We will go around the whole country and issue a report on the whole process.”
The COVID-19 relief program saw government distributing Shs 100,000 to selected people classified as vulnerable during the 42-day lockdown.
The beneficiaries, according to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, were identified from groups of people that survive on daily earnings in Kampala, all cities, and municipalities.
According to Luttamaguzi, many beneficiaries did not receive the aid.
It should be noted that early last month , a section of MPs led by Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia requested that government, through the office of the Prime Minster to avail the MPs with the list of beneficiaries of the Covid19 relief funds to allow them verify it as a way of ascertaining if the money went to deserving vulnerable Ugandans.
However, Nabbanja, explained that the list contained people’s private information, including National Identification Numbers (NINs), and mobile phone numbers, a reason it wouldn’t be shared. She made it clear sharing this information with Parliament would be in total disregard of privacy laws.
Other MPs like Medard Lubega Sseggona (Busiro East) complained about the manner in which the Covid19 relief package was being handled. The NUP MP told Nabbanja and the entire House that several vulnerable poor Ugandans were not included on the list of beneficiaries yet they have been adversely affected by the lockdown.
The government officially launched Covid-19 cash relief to vulnerable Ugandans affected by the second lockdown on Thursday, July 8, 2021.