Members of Parliament have raised concern over the misappropriation of funds meant to support refugees in Uganda.
Already four government officials including the Commissioner for Refugees Apollo Kazungu and three senior staff have been suspended over the matter.
Kasilo County MP, Hon. Elijah Okupa, raised the matter during a plenary session on Wednesday, 14th February 2018, saying that Parliament had waited for long to hear about the steps being taken by Government to intervene in the matter.
“We want to know whether it is true that Government of Uganda entered an agreement with Israel to host refugees,” said Hon. Okupa, citing the deportation of some Ethiopian and Israeli refugees to Uganda.
Mbale Municipality MP Hon. Jack Wamanga-Wamai said that Ugandans had become refugees in their own country, citing an example of landslide victims who were relocated to refugee camps for resettlement purposes.
The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga noted that the deportation of Israeli and Ethiopian refugees was a serious matter, saying she recently attended a conference in Israel where she met criticism over the move.
Obongi County MP Hon. Hassan Fungaroo suggested that proper management of refugees required external intervention saying, “We tried to discuss with the Ministry for Disaster Preparedness but we failed to make any progress.”
The Speaker asked Hon. Fungaroo to present a motion in that regard, which could be discussed on the Floor for a substantive way forward.
“We will also need answers from the Ministry for Disaster Preparedness on the deportation of Israelis and Ethiopians to Uganda, as well as on the UNHCR scandal,” added Kadaga.