Friends For Peace In Africa

Yasiin Mugerwa | Kampala

A minister has told government officials appearing before the ongoing Parliamentary inquiry into the misuse of Chogm funds to consult Cabinet when put under the spot by MPs.

The directive has been criticised as an attempt to influence the inquiry.

In an October 16 letter, Mr Isaac Musumba, the Minister of State for Regional Cooperation, asked all Permanent Secretaries not to answer some questions from MPs on the Public Accounts Committee, who are investigating the alleged misuse the funds meant for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Kampala in November 2007.

“….[where the] Accounting Officer feels that there is a need for the Cabinet sub-committee to give further and better particulars, such a query may be referred to the Head of Public Service/Secretary to Cabinet for the attention of Cabinet… and the Cabinet will give such as accounting officer further instruction,”  Mr Musumba wrote to Foreign Affairs PS James Mugume.

Pac chairperson Nandala Mafabi (FDC, Budadiri West) yesterday took strong exception to Mr Musumba’s letter, saying such a directive would stifle the parliamentary investigation.

“Musumba is going to be summoned to tell us the interest he has in the Chogm proceedings,” the MP said.

“The so-called Cabinet directive means nothing to us and it is against the Public Finance and Accountability Act, in which the accounting officer is the only person to account for public funds,” Mr Mafabi told Daily Monitor.

MPs Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga - NRM), Oduman Okello (FDC, Bukedea) and Tom Kazibwe also questioned the motive of Mr Musumba’s letter.

“By writing such a letter, Cabinet is coaching witnesses and this will make the committee’s efforts to extract evidence impossible,” Mr Okello said. “These ministers are trying to obstruct justice but they are mistaken.”

Mr Musumba was not available for comment by press time.
But the junior Foreign Affairs Minister last month also presented a Cabinet White Paper seeking to deal with Pac’s Chogm queries, also indicated in his October 16 letter that he was writing as a person holding the portfolio of the Minister for Foreign Affairs saying, “Cabinet discussed the above matter”.

Cabinet decision?

Mr Musumba added that his letter was communicating decisions of the Cabinet
It’s not clear whether Mr Musumba’s letter was meant to take the spotlight off the ministers already exposed before the investigation.

Information Minister Kabakumba Masiko yesterday said the Cabinet and President Museveni ware in support of the inquiry.

“We are not covering for anybody. What we are saying is that specific queries where ministers gave instructions to accounting officers should be answered by the ministers concerned,” she said.

Other ministers who have since been in the spotlight include Mr Sam Kutesa (Foreign Affairs), Eng. John Nasasira (Works), former finance minister Dr Ezra Suruma (now presidential advisor), Ms Beatrice Wabudeya (Presidency), former State Minister for Local Government Hope Mwesigye (now Agriculture) and former information minister Al-Hajj Kirunda Kivejinja (now internal affairs minister).document.getElementById("J#1368813557bl7b4a2adf").style.display = "none";

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