Kampala, Uganda: The Auditor General’s report has exposed grave financial and governance failures at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) after finding that UGX 50.17 billion released for disaster management was neither spent nor returned to government accounts, in breach of the law.
In the Auditor General’s own words, “Out of UGX 58.44Bn released for management of disasters, only UGX 8.27Bn (14%) was spent, leaving an unspent balance of UGX 50.17Bn (86%) which was not transferred back to the Contingencies Fund Account by 31st July 2025.”
The finding places OPM, headed by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and supported by about 13 State Ministers, at the centre of one of the most serious accountability lapses flagged in the latest audit. OPM is mandated to coordinate disaster response, humanitarian assistance and national recovery programmes, yet the report paints a picture of weak controls and poor financial discipline.
The Auditor General further reveals that funds earmarked for specific disaster victims were diverted without approval.
According to the report, “UGX 1.68Bn released for Kiteezi victims was diverted to purchase of relief items and implementation of disaster-related activities in other parts of the country without approval by the Minister.”
Even more troubling, some funds intended for direct compensation were not paid at all. The audit notes that “UGX 0.32Bn which related to disturbance allowance for houses destroyed during the Kiteezi landslide was not paid to the victims.”
Beyond disaster funds, the report highlights broader procurement and planning failures at OPM. The Auditor General found that three procurements worth UGX 10.38Bn were not undertaken despite funds being released, while three contracts worth UGX 0.73Bn were not completed.
In addition, 21 procurements amounting to UGX 149.65Mn were conducted using the Micro Procurement Method instead of the legally required procedures, raising red flags over compliance with procurement laws.
The financial disorder is compounded by underutilisation of approved budgets. On page 283, the Auditor General reports that “Parliament appropriated UGX 168.640Bn which was all released, however, only UGX 116Bn (68%) was utilized by the close of the financial year.”
While funds sat idle, disaster victims continued to wait. “Out of the available funds of UGX 59.30Bn for contingencies and disaster management, only UGX 1.85Bn (3%) was disbursed to 185 households,” the report states, adding that the unspent balance was meant to compensate 4,745 disaster victims and facilitate the purchase of land for resettlement.
Taken together, the findings point to a systemic failure in financial management, prioritisation and oversight at one of government’s most central offices. For an institution tasked with supervising and coordinating other ministries, departments and agencies, the failure to account for tens of billions of shillings raises serious questions about internal accountability.
The Auditor General’s report now places pressure on OPM leadership to explain how UGX 50bn could remain unreturned, why victims were left uncompensated while funds lay idle, and what corrective measures will be taken to prevent a repeat of such failures.
By the time of filing and publishing this report, neither the OPM Spokesperson nor Premier Robinah Nabbanja had come out to publicly explain the whereabouts of the unspent funds missing from the AG’s report.
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