The Permanent Secretary (PS) of Ministry of Health Dr. Diana Atwine has clarified that shs 27 billion which the public contributed to fight Covid-19 was received and sent to the consolidated account.
She added that, that money couldn’t be used since Parliament had not approved the Ministry’s supplementary budget because having been raised at a time the country was undergoing electioneering.
“Now that MPs are back, they have approved the money and we have it. We will start using it next week,” Diana said on Monday night.
She strongly dismissed claims made by a “negative force” that the 27 billions were “stolen by the officials at the Ministry.”
Diana said sending the money which was collected by both the Covid-19 taskforce and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to the consolidated account was done as the law stipulates.
“The money was collected to buy cars, build and renovate hospitals at the borders,” she said.
“That will be done. We shall also set up two blood banks, one in Arua,” she said.
At the beginning of last year, President Museveni led a campaign to fundraise towards fighting Covid pandemic.
Whereas Ugandans were in a lockdown, they managed to make cash and material contributions.
Dr Diana decried a malicious campaign aimed at soiling officials at the Ministry of Health.
She said that harmful propaganda demonises officials who are among the first frontline workers in this battle to fight the virus.
“That money is not stolen. Bank of Uganda gave it to us and we have it. It is intact and will be properly put to use,” she said.
Dr Diana and Ministry of Health Jane Aceng have been victims of a well orchestrated malicious campaign led by individuals believed to have been targeting huge deals at the Ministry.
For over a year now, the lobbyists have championed a campaign to label Diana and Aceng as thieves but the PS maintains that all the funds received from both government and the public has or can be accounted for.
“No one has the right to steal public funds. This is taxpayers’ money which we can account for properly,” Diana said.