By Rogers Mulindwa
Dec 16, 2003
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LUWERO � The district chairman here, Hajji Abdul Nadduli, has said corruption is part of life. He says it�s difficult to rout corruption from public offices. The outspoken chairman urged his juniors, at a recent workshop, not to shy away from touching government funds. He warned however, that they should prepare well written out accountability reports. Nadduli reminded his juniors that �man eateth where he worketh.� He said no Ugandan could let money slip through his hands without taking a penny. �How do you let fifteen money notes through your hands and you don�t pick any!� Nadduli wondered, setting off thunderous applause from the audience. He was speaking recently at the official opening of a two-day district workshop on Participatory Development Planning for lower local governments at Lydrines Hotel in Luwero town. The participants included LC-III chairpersons, finance secretaries, extension workers and community development assistants. Nadduli said there�s no way he can stop civil servants from swindling government funds because �it is not practical.� He appealed to big time swindlers to reduce on the percentage so that the biggest portion goes towards the right cause. �What I don�t want is the excessive eating. You also know that too much of anything is bad,� Nadduli said. He said his office would always intervene and protect workers against minor cases of corruption. �If one man can disappear with a billion, why should we make a lot of noise about the Shs 200,000 that goes missing at a sub county,� he said. Nadduli�s stunning comments come on the heels of a probe by the Inspector General of Government into alleged cases of corruption, incompetence and abuse of offices by senior district officials, including the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr Simon Mpiira Bigairwe. The district probe report released recently implicated Bigairwe in a number of financial irregularities. This prompted the district council to call for his sacking. Mpiira is expected to file his defence at the end of year council sitting on December 19. But Nadduli has since criticised councillors fighting corruption in the district. He said they would die poor. �I am unfortunate to have got such confused councillors this time. I have given up on them, they will die poor,� he said. Some of the participants, including LC-III chairpersons, however condemned Nadduli�s utterances. They told The Monitor after the workshop that Nadduli�s views are meant to sabotage government programmes. |
� 2003 The Monitor Publications
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