By Sylvia kugonza
The Mayor Fort Portal city has raised concern over insubordination of the City Town clerk Mr. Moses Otimong, for failure to implement the Ministry of local government [MOLG] directive to interdict city employees implicated in financial mismanagement and abuse of office.
On June 27,2022, Permanent secretary in the MOLG, Ben Kumumanya, instructed an immediate interdiction of Thomas Raboni, the Fort Portal north division town clerk and Ms. Pamela Kirungi, the Fort Portal city senior accountant to allow smooth investigations into their grave anomalies in financial management.
In his letter, Mr. Kumumanya guided that criminal investigations directorate and statehouse anti-corruption unit, are conducting investigation into allegations of abuse of office, embezzlement and causing financial loss to the city by the two officers in the financial year 2021/22.
As one of the processes for smooth investigation, he suggests that officers should step aside so as not to temper with investigations.
It’s alleged that in September 2021, the officers in question were involved in the irregular borrowing of UGX 21.97million from north division while the same accountant caused the city council loss of 27.7 million when she failed to deduct, withholding tax from payment she made to Fort Portal lorry drivers association and China WuYi ca. Ltd in the month of June 2021.
However, two months down the road the city town clerk Mr. Moses Otimong has since ignored the directive without issuing out any official communication to the employees in question which has raised questions amongst the city authorities.
In his letter dated 2nd August 2022, directed to the Fort portal city town clerk, His Worship Edson Asaba Ruyonga has asked the city clerk to explain why his office has never written to the two employees interdicting them as instructed by the Ministry of Local Government.
Ruyonga, says a section of technocrats fear to bring in good officers who are likely to unearth the dirty secrets they have been harboring in the institution characterized by gross corruption tendencies.
According to the city Mayor, insubordination in local governments is also condoned by the top bosses in the ministry of local government where the licit deals are done and the loot is shared with their supervisors.
When contacted, the town clerk Mr. Moses Otimong said he was busy adding that he would get back to us during his free time.
Jubilee radio attempted to reach out to the permanent secretary Ben Kumumanya to find out whether the instructions released on 27thJune suggesting the interdiction of the officers still stand in vain as he could not receive our repeated calls.
The state minister for local government Victoria Rusoke told us on phone that she is aware of the situation in Fort portal and she has since received a copy of the Mayors concern regarding the insubordination of the town clerk towards implementing the permanent secretary directives.
