Vice President Gilbert Bukenya has accepted to appear alone before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
The committee’s lead counsel MP, Tom Kazibwe (Ntenjeru North) told the press on yesterday afternoon that Bukenya will appear before the committee on the morning of March 25 as earlier was demanded by the committee. Bukenya had defied an earlier summon to appear before the committee on March.17.
PAC wants Bukenya to explain the award of a controversial Shs9.4 billion deal to provide cars for the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (Chogm) 2007 in Kampala. Legislators on the committee say that the award of the tender, which was first given to Spear Motors Ltd for outright purchase but was later converted into a lease arrangement and awarded to Europcar/Motorcare, contravened government procurement regulations.
The Vice President had in a March 3 letter demanded to appear before the committee along with other members of the Chogm cabinet committee. Bukenya, other senior ministers and members of the Chogm cabinet committee are accused of “arm twisting†permanent secretaries into entering contracts in which billions of tax payers’ money was lost.
The VP earlier wrote:  “The Cabinet sub-committee made decisions collectively…. it is therefore my view that the Sub-committee of Cabinet on Chogm 2007 meets your committee as whole rather than individual meetings with various ministers.â€
PAC on March 9 rejected Bukenya’s demand as an attempt to “dodge accountability of public fundsâ€.
“The Vice President should stop hiding behind the mob; each minister has his own cross to carry and we regret to inform him that each minister must answer individually†said the Chairman of the committee Nandala Mafabi.
The committee also threatened to block Cabinet ministers who supervised projects as part of the November 2007 Chogm from travel abroad until they have accounted for their actions.
Calls for travel bans were prompted by the failure by minister’s Hope Mwesigye (Agriculture), Sam Kutesa (Foreign Affairs) and Serapio Rukundo (Tourism) to show up for scheduled hearings before the committee, on grounds that they were busy and had travel out of the country.Â
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written by Omeros, March 12, 2010
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