The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Arua city officials are demanding the intervention of Parliament to access 8 Billion Shillings that was returned to the treasury in the 2018/2019 financial year.
Part of the money was meant for upgrading roads under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructural Development-USMID program.
Meeting Members of Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee, Sam Adriko, the finance officer Arua city said that the council was forced to make a supplementary budget to accommodate the money in 2018/2019, but Parliament did not approve it, forcing the council to return the money which had been kept in Orient Bank back to the central treasury.
Adriko says since then, the ministry of finance has failed to return the money to Arua city accounts. He says the lack of funds has hindered road works in the city.
Paul Batanda, city clerk of Arua explained that though the Ministry of Finance sometimes sends back returned funds, the situation remains unclear as there is no written notice to that effect. Batanda says the practice of returning money from consolidated accounts back to local governments remains undefined.
Geoffrey Feta, the MP Ayivu East in Arua city tasked his MPs to establish the fate of the money that had been committed to the road project.
Emmanuel Ongiertho, MP Pakwach district said the committee will follow up with the Ministry of Finance so that the money is sent back to Arua city.
According to records from the City Engineering Department, no single road has been upgraded in Ayivu division, while over 20 kilometers of roads in the Central division require urgent rehabilitation and upgrading.
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