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KALANGALA: Kalangala District health department has been hit with a 14 billion shillings’ corruption scandal involving key stakeholders in the district local government, Center for disease control and several officials in the United States embassy in Uganda.

The scandal presided over by the District Health Officer Hillary Bitakaramire, the chief administrative officers who worked in the Ssese Islands in such capacity and several other officials at the district local government and the Kalangala Comprehensive Public Health services project.

The scandal detailed in a report done by the Statehouse health desk indicates how a projected 14 billion shs project donated to the District through a project implementation organization (KCPHSP) involved reckless spending, kickbacks, forgery, inflation of project implementation costs among many other inadequacies.

At the inception of the project, Center for disease control funded the Kalangala Home based VCT program under the district local government.

The funding, including several transport costs were inflated to a tune of 200 percent including fuel on land and water. The report also indicated highlighted several plights of forgery and indecent spending for the time of inception to completion.

“Several receipts of fuel consumption provided for audit indicated that different fuel stations provided utility on a different date and actual utilization was also a month later. Such indications are a result of forgery to meet audit standards.” Reads part of the report.

The administration of the same project seemed to overlook several required standards as the chief accounting officer and general project management was marginalized and done by the District Health officer.

“This left loopholes in the project management. Also, many indicated activities tend to share dates. Some of the audits and monitoring seasons done by project funders clearly indicated that the duty bearers mentioned in the project management stages rejected being part of the implemented projects. Some also wondered why the project implementers kept forging their signatures to suit the project goals.” Said a source privy to the report but asked to remain anonymous.

Several vouchers and bank statements we have seen indicated that several staff within the project offered themselves contracts contrary to the standing orders.

Also, several of the officers including the project titular head Hillary Bitakaramire received on several occasions three money transfers from the project to his personal accounts in a single day. For instance, on December 16^th, Bitakaramire through his stanbic account received three sums of money coming at different intervals. The same amounts came in a day later on the same account, towards the Christmas holiday.

Dr Bitakaramire however defends the deliberations as sums that were to be used in the project implementation.  “But you also know that money is used for project implementation. All those funds are accounted for.”

In June 2015, Bitakaramire together with a host of machete wielding men kidnapped Jundo Samuel the then handler of all properties the District Health officer had acquired. Jundo had revealed information on how the medical officer had invested most of the project money in private lucrative businesses including storied building construction.

“Actually all money used to come to my accounts and later, I would withdraw and take to him for further deposits in banks whose access was not in Kalangala. He never wanted me to tell people that the building was his because they would know how much he has defrauded.” Jundo was recorded saying in a telephone interview.

The Anti-Corruption coalition Uganda in an interview on the matter indicated that such trivial acts need to be investigated and perpetrators be brought to book. “The local people remain without delivering a service whose money is supposed to serve” Said Cissy Kagaba, the Executive Director anti-corruption coalition

The money was supposed to cater for HIV patients and victims, raise awareness and also improve their conditions. However, a report by the District NGO forum indicated that there remains a high level of ignorance amongst HIV patients on the test and treat implementation and how to prevent the acquiring of HIV.

The Kalangala District Chairperson Willy Lugoloobi demanded that an independent audit be made on the project so as provide evidence on theft and the mismanagement of funds. Currently, the center for disease control has temporarily withdrawn funding through the project.

His Majesty the Kabaka of Buganda, Muwenda Mutebi II has agreed to work with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to promote conservation of wildlife in Buganda.

Although there are no national parks or wildlife reserves in Buganda, the Buganda culture derives many of its associations from wildlife, and all the 52 clans of Buganda derive their names from animals, such as Enjovu (elephant), Engo (leopard), Emamba (lungfish), Enkima (monkey), Ente (cow) Endiga (sheep) etc. Even some names of places in Buganda are derived from animals such as Wandegeya (weaverbird) and Kampala (impalas).

At a meeting His Majesty the Kabaka held with the UWA Acting Executive Director, Mr. Moses Mapesa and Public Relations Manager, Lillian Nsubuga in the presence of his Advisor, Mr. Peter Mpanga at his Banda palace on Thursday, 17th March 2005, it was observed that there are substantial numbers of wildlife populations in Nakasongola, Kiboga, Sembabule, Wakiso and Luwero districts which could be more adequately utilised either for tourism or recreation.

Some of such animals include elephants, buffaloes, sitatungas, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, and many primate species. Sango Bay in Rakai District was specially identified as an ideal area that could be turned into a wildlife reserve through local government or Buganda government initiatives. Apart from having large wildlife numbers and a very good road network, the area is largely unpopulated and has a big forest reserve.

On many occasions, UWA has been called upon to manage the animals in Sango Bay even though the organisation does not have a staff presence in the area. Most of the land there either belongs to the Buganda Kingdom or private landlords.

His Majesty the Kabaka offered to help promote the idea of establishing wildlife ranches by Baganda landowners especially in areas where livestock can coexist with wildlife. Interested landlords would also establish picnic sites and campsites on their lands, which local and international tourists would use at a fee.

UWA would also work with landlords to restock wildlife numbers in areas where they may be depleted as long as those landlords want to invest in wildlife-related ventures, which is already provided for under the Uganda Wildlife Act 2000 Cap 200 in respect to the wildlife use rights.

Establishing wildlife conservation areas within Buganda would bring wildlife closer to the majority of Kampala residents who love to see and experience wildlife but don’t have the time to drive to the national parks most of which lie far from the city, almost 300kms away.

His Majesty the Kabaka requested to be furnished with more information regarding wildlife numbers in the Sango Bay area and promised to promote wildlife conservation among his subjects.

His Majesty the Kabaka expressed interest in starting an ostrich farm on a small scale, and requested for more information on how this can be done.