Abaana Uganda...owangee..Mbagi ba Gudde mu bintu!!!!!!kolapsonii..one eatheth were one worketh..eat while the white man is still generous and you have a corrupt regime of murders and killers leading you... ..you never know.... the water hole may dry in the days to come if there is a responsible Gavumenti ..and the whiteman becames wise!!!
MK
Report Exposes Aids Fund Recipients
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The Monitor (Kampala)
September 5, 2005
Posted to the web September 4, 2005
Simon Kasyate
Kampala
The PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit into alleged mismanagement of the Global Fund project caught 29 entities without a clean bill of health.
The audit revealed that the companies and NGOs, which received cash under the suspended project, either had questionable credentials or failed to account for the money.
The funds, accessed through the Ministry of Finance, were disbursed through the Project Management Unit (PMU) in the Ministry of Health to Sub-recipients (SRs).
The Global Fund had earmarked $201m (about Shs 280 billion) for Uganda for two years.
Only $45 million (Shs 81 billion) of this had been disbursed by the time the Global Fund announced it was withholding all five grants to Uganda.
The audit report by the Global Fund's agent, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) - an international audit firm indicates that many SRs did not use the money rightly.
The same report also indicates that the majority of the SRs were approved to receive this money without meeting the stipulated criteria. Many SRs did not have the mandatory one-year experience. Some were reportedly hurriedly formed for the sole purpose of accessing the funds, yet others were not legally registered and in extreme cases, others did not have physical addresses.
The report reveals in detail how some individuals and organisations failed to account for the funds and how others inflated costs to earn extra money. The report revealed irregularities in the procurement, governance and management of the grants right PMU down to the SRs.
First to be reviewed was Lijac Promotional Services. This turned out to be an unregistered organisation. The only documentation to reflect legal status was that the organisation had reserved a name at the time of applying for funding. It has no physical address but was awarded funds for the purpose of running a Television education quiz and discussion programme worth Shs41,920,000.
"The proposal submitted does not describe the type of business the organisation is in, for how long it has been in operation nor does it highlight the organisation's experience in the field it was submitting an application for. We requested for and were not provided with the tapes of the recordings that had taken place with the funding from the GF.
The few tapes that were provided to us were old tapes that we were not allowed to review. Some of them were clearly marked Uganda Television and contained recordings of speeches by ministers," the report says.
The report says the organisation could not account for Shs10,593,000. About Shs12,461,000 passed off as inflated prices of items like video tapes.
Apac district
Apac District was another SR that, like other public sector entities, did not prepare proposals but just submitted work plans and budgets. This was the basis of receiving funds to the tune of Shs16,945,000. The review indicated that of this Shs5,910,000 representing 34% of budget is questionable expenditure. This arises from lack of documentary backing for some expenditure.
Biggest recipient
The Aids Control Programme (ACP) was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the fund even after their work plan budget of Shs13 billion was revised down to Shs5 billion.
The review accuses the PMU of among others things, making payments directly to individuals for ACP activities either in cash or by cheques.
"Most of the payments effected were on average about Shs20 million," the report, a copy of which Daily Monitor has seen reads in part, "ACP staff have not provided accountability for funds received after activities have been undertaken. This situation is aggravated by the fact that the PMU does not maintain a log of who has taken an advance and who has accounted for one."
"An example is Dr Musinguzi who received Shs68 million early June and has not implemented activities to date. He has however remained with the funds under his custodianship," said the report.
The report also notes that allowances were not paid out in accordance with the Government of Uganda standing instructions. The report says per diems were paid at higher than the laid down rates. "Per diems were paid to ACP staff at workshops when they were not spending a night away from their duty stations; Per diems were paid to participants who were accommodated at the workshop and all meals paid; Allowances that are not defined by the GoU instructions were paid to ACP staff forexample professional fees, facilitation among others and an honorarium was paid to staff but at rates that are not in line with the GoU instructions bringing questioned allowances to Shs85,427,104."
About Shs1.4 billion remains questionable expenditure by the ACP.
The National Council of Sports had two other SRs registered under it for funding which include; City Lads Football Club and Sports for Support. Together, these three have queried expenditures to the tune of 14,660,000. National Council of Sports, City Lads Football Club and Sports for Support spent Shs7,181,000, Shs4,546,000 and Shs2,933,000 respectively.
The Uganda Private Medical Practitioners' Association got Shs49 million but Shs10,685,100 was captured as questionable expenditure by the PWC review. The report says allowances were paid out that lacked third party supporting documents and outright failure to account by officials.
Datamine
Datamine Technical Business School is a limited company that is offering computer services. It also got money from the Global Fund. Under the management of Mr Mathias Mpuuga assisted by Ms Jackie Namwanje, they cannot account for Shs32,491,000.
The review report questions how little known Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) with Rogers Kasirye as coordinator spent Shs20,559,000. The review indicates outright forgeries and lies in the accountability of funds.
UYDEL could neither provide the tapes nor the photographs it allegedly took at one of the sensitisation seminars. "The photos provided to us were taken in 1998," the review states.
Health Consult
Health Consult applied for funding to develop models of HIV counselling and testing in clinics and hospitals in district settings that would either directly provide or refer those testing positive to sources of basic preventive and palliative care. This SR does not have a physical address.
The project they proposed to be undertaken in Mpigi district i.e. specifically in Gombe Hospital. "It cannot account for Shs18,041,000 rising from per diems, other allowances and car hire services; receipts of which were questioned," the report says.
"The phone number on the receipt for Instant Services Car Hire does not belong to the company. The number belongs to a student at a university and he informed us that he does not have any relationship with any car hire company," the report says.
Entebbe United Development Organisation (EUDO), a community-based organisation in Entebbe Municipality, had a questioned expenditure bill of Shs18,510,600 - 62 per cent of the total funds it received.
Uganda Youth Anti-Aids Association (UYAA) is a lead agency with 34 sub recipients that came on board after responding to a call for proposals by the PMU. About Shs36,448,110 of the money it received cannot be accounted for satisfactorily.
Specialist Centre
Medical Specialist Centre (MSC) is an established profit oriented clinical practice that provides health care service to a large and varied number of patients within and outside Kampala. MSC owned by a private practitioner who is an orthopaedic surgeon does not have a certificate of incorporation other than a certificate/operational license for health units.
It got Shs50,200,000. However by the end of July 2005, Shs27,730,090 (55% of the disbursed funds) had been utilised in accordance with the approved budget. The rest stands as questionable expenditure.
Buso Foundation, another SRs was granted Shs133,180,803 but to date Shs 94,872,655 remains questionable expenditure. Uganda Women's Effort to Save Orphans (Uweso) - Entebbe branch had probably the lowest questionable expenditure. It got Shs20 million and Shs591,000 remains questionable expenditure.
Campus Alliance to Wipe out Aids (CAWA), is a non-governmental organisation registered with KCC. It largely sensitises students in universities and colleges about abstinence and the dangers of indulging in pre-marital sex. It got Shs43,400,000 but managed to account for only Shs35,345,500. CAWA is also an evangelical organisation.
Making Positive Living Attractive to the Youth Ma-(PLAY) is a youth led initiative, which started in 1996 by a group of young people and their parents. It addresses health challenges that youths face regarding sexual and reproductive health including STDs HIV/Aids, early pregnancies, unsafe abortions and other health risks like drugs and alcohol. This group got Shs33,610,700 and cannot account for Shs2,021,650.
Murumba Uganda Inc. a registered humanitarian child focused organization based in Mbale that supports HIV/AIDS orphans in form of sponsorships, helps vulnerable orphans of HIV/AIDS scourge. The organization whose business specialism is "poverty alleviation" was granted Shs38,824,900. Shs12,306,750 of this remains questioned expenditure.
The total funds disbursed to Mildmay was Shs236,916,123 on 22 October 2004 for health care training and Shs 942,415,439 on March 1, 2005 for a project to improve the quality of orphans affected by HIV/Aids. However the review indicates that accountability was only for the first disbursement, leaving the second disbursement expenditure questionable.
Prime Info Group, according to their proposal is a consortium of seven companies and organisations, which were 'purposely' created to implement GF Programme in the informal sector groups. This has not accounted for Shs 30 million.
UNFFE
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Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE) is one of the lead agencies in the private sector that was selected to implement the GF project among farming communities. UNFFE have received the following disbursements: Got Shs164,278,724 and Shs241,952,920 in respect of the first grant agreement and Shs200,000,000 as an additional grant. An additional agreement was entered into for the third disbursement. However an estimated Shs132,083,526 cannot be accounted for.
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