Parliament has directed the Criminal Investigations Department to carry out a special audit into the misappropriation of funds by Mbarara Municipal Council authorities in the 2008/2009 financial year. The investigations stem from audit queries raised by the auditor general into the use of shillings 776 million.
The money in question was spent to tarmac and open the drainage along Kyamugorani road in Kamukuzi Division. Initially Mbarara Municipal council had budgeted shillings 682 million for the road works but spent shillings 776 million without approval from the council. Investigations by the auditor general showed that despite the fact that more money was spent without authorization the road was incomplete and full of potholes indicating shoddy work.
On Monday, members of the parliamentary local government committee grilled David Naluwayiro, the former town clerk Mbarara Municipality and Finance Officer Julius Kabegambire over the money. Peter Loki, a member of the committee accused the officials of conniving to eat money meant for the roads.
He said government had allocated money for the said roads during the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 financial year but it was not completed. Naluwayiro admitted before the committee that there were errors committed and apologized for the anomalies. However, the MPs resolved to the committee resolved to institute a special audit to ascertain how the money was shared before submitting a report to the plenary. They therefore directed the CID detectives attached to the committee to look into who did what and who took what
