KAMPALA, UGANDA: The National Unity Platform Principal leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) has in a Wednesday dossier condemned the NRM government officials implicated in the Karamoja iron sheets bonanza.
In a statement conveyed through his social media channels, the former presidential candidate expressed ridicule and contempt for the officials whose names have been tagged to one of the most popular scandals of the Office of the Prime Minister in recent time. Below is his statement;
ON THE KARAMOJA IRON SHEETS SCANDAL!
I am disturbed but not surprised by revelations implicating high-ranking officials in the stealing of iron sheets that were intended for distribution to the poor people of Karamoja.
The iron sheets, kept under the charge of the Prime Minister, were meant to support the livelihoods and social infrastructure of people in Karamoja recently affected by famine and state-sponsored insecurity. Instead, they were shared on WhatsApp by well-placed thieves in Government.
It is reported that between 25th January and 8th February 2023, about 6000 of the iron sheets were shared among beneficiaries including the Vice President; the Speaker of Parliament; the Prime Minister; the First and Third Deputy Prime Ministers; the Government Chief Whip; the MINISTER OF ETHICS AND INTEGRITY; the State Minister for Finance; the State Minister for Refugees; the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs; the State Minister of Agriculture; and the State Minister for Bunyoro Affairs, among others. Two of these individuals, including the previous Speaker of Parliament, have confirmed sharing in the loot!
The current Speaker, Anita Among, claims she was unaware the iron sheets might have been stolen but that she nevertheless ordered for their distribution to schools in her home district, Bukedea; a district she certainly knows is located outside Karamoja sub-region.
Other beneficiaries reportedly used the iron sheets to construct cattle sheds, while others simply took and sold them off! You may recall that last year when we took food relief items to the people of Karamoja, it is these same people who said that we were just looking for cheap popularity and that there is no famine in Karamoja!
The most shocking part of this saga is that it is filthy-rich individuals in Government who stole relief items meant for some of the most vulnerable people in our country; people already struggling to stay alive in one of the most deprived regions on the continent.
Our brothers and sisters in Karamoja have endured years of neglect, marginalization and oppression by dictator Museveni’s regime. The last thing they needed at this time was having to endure such callousness and greed! We must all condemn it in the strongest terms possible!
We all know that the regime will protect and not take any punitive measures against this criminality. If the perpetrators have any shame left, the best thing for them to do would be to resign but of course we all know that they won’t because if they resigned, it would destabilise dictator Museveni whose only agenda at the moment is to keep in power.
I urge all of us who believe in change to think deeply about this scandal and double the efforts we have been expending towards creating a more just and equitable society where everyone has access to the resources they need to live a dignified life.
Otherwise, incidents like this will keep happening until we accept our collective responsibility to put an end to the Museveni dictatorship.
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