The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The repeated change pf accounting officers in the directorate of citizenship and Immigration control affected its budget performance for the financial year 2018/2019.
During the year, the directorate had four accounting officers after two accounting officers were interdicted and one retired. The wave started on March 2018, when then accounting officer Godfrey Wanzira Sasagah, the Director Citizenship and Immigration Control was interdicted in for allegedly misusing funds for the procurement of equipment for the e-passports under the department of immigration.
He was replaced by the then Commissioner for Legal and Inspection Services, Josephine Ekwang who also interdicted in the first quarter of 2018/2019. Then, the Secretary to the Treasury Keith Muhakinizi appointed Benon Mujuni who, however, retired by the end of the second quarter of the Financial year.
Upon his retirement, Herric Pat Cheborion was appointed Director Citizenship and Immigration Control for the third and some part of the fourth quarter of the year, before he was replaced by Maj. Gen. Apollo Gowa Kasiita.
According to the report of the accountant general, the Directorate had failed to spend a total of 4.3 billion Shillings, which was part of the 85.7 billion Shillings allocated to the sector during the year. The unspent funds included the budget for courier- shillings 1.5 billion, 985 million Shillings for machinery and equipment, 253 million for wages and 250 million for procurement of land for the establishment of a regional office in Mbale.
Herric Pat Cheborion, now the acting Commissioner for Citizenship and Passport Control says that the changes at the department affected key operations and deadlines, leading to failures in utilizing funds.
He adds that most of the planned activities were not implemented due to delays in the procurement and recruitment process, citing the service provider for the postage courier who was not contracted because the production of e-passports had stalled.
He adds that the directorate with about 630 staff, could not pay wages amounting to shillings 253 million because some staff died, retired, quit or had not been recruited by the end of the financial year. The budget line was also affected by the failure by the Public Service Commission to approve suggested promotions.
In the 2019/2020 financial year, the directorate expects to issue 300,000 passports, procure machinery and equipment to facilitate automated border control and management systems.
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