By John Kabagambe
According to impeccable sources and all indications, heads are about to roll over the looting of government iron sheets that were meant to benefit the poverty-stricken Karamoja region.
Reliable information filtering to our desk indicates that President Museveni understandably irked and jittery at the callous and shameless looting of iron sheets meant to benefit the poorest people in Uganda, has penned a letter instructing his trusted anti-graft State House Anti Corruption Unit together with the Inspector General of Government (IGG) as well as the CID boss, to leave no stone unturned in investigating and pinning the culprits.
“These people are worse than coronavirus! Whoever knows something about this matter, must be interrogated. Whether you received, or heard about it but concealed information, shared the sheets, or touched them, I want all of them to account for their actions. Those culpable must be taken to court,” Museveni instructed.
Aside from the stench of corruption and abuse of office that this whole scandal reeks of, Museveni’s anger is founded on the fact that he had sought to help the Karamojong because their restive semi-arid area is too hot, they have no grass to roof their manyattas (grass thatched huts) hence they lack shelter and generally live in extreme and harsh conditions compared to other Ugandans.
By giving them iron sheets, Museveni intended to not only improve their living conditions but also to persuade and dissuade the pastoral Karamojong from their nomadic lifestyle, the same way he discouraged the Bahima against nomadism decades ago, something that has now been obstructed and sabotaged by the greed and selfishness of some political actors.
Echoing those sentiments, Museveni was quoted to have said; “Imagine such a heartless group, how can you steal from the Karamojong? The people have no grass, they live a hard life. They lack shelter. What kind of insensitivity is this!? I didn’t know people can be insensitive to others to this extent! No no, we must take action,” Museveni vowed.
A line minister from the office of the Prime minister (Maria Goretti Kitutu and several others) have been named in media reports, and a notice of censure has already been brought to the attention of the speaker of parliament.
This came on the heels of widespread complaints against bribery, corruption and abuse of office at Entebbe airport where once again Museveni dispatched Brig. Gen Isoke to investigate and make a report, at this rate, Brig Gen Isoke’s work is really cut out for him.
