MPS on the legal and parliamentary affairs committee have expressed dissatisfaction over the decision by Mubende district administrators to retire officials implicated in the diversion of universal primary education (UPE) funds, contrary to the advice of the Inspector general of Government (IGG).
The MPs learnt that instead of dismissing the officers and recovering the money as the IGG had recommended, the district authorities preferred to retire the officers with full benefits.
The MPs raised their concerns last week while meeting a team from Mubende district, led by the chief administrative officer, Nicholas Ocakara.
The committee, chaired by Stephen Tashobya (NRM), is studying the IGG reports from 1999 to 2006.
Investigations by the IGG revealed that in 2001, the district education office centralised the setting and printing of primary school examinations under the management of a district academic board, formed for this purpose.
“Of the sh199m deposited on the board’s account, only sh65m was paid to the printing firm. The rest was not accounted for.”
The IGG recommended that the district inspector of schools should refund sh63m.
He also recommended that the inspector, the chairman of the teachers association and the secretary of the district academic board account for sh144m and be dismissed for lack of integrity.
Ocakara said the district management at the time decided to recover the money from the officers’ retirement benefits.
However, he said, the district service commission retired the four officers in 2004 with full benefits.
MPs said by deciding to pay the officers gratuity and pension, the district was causing more loss to the Government.
