The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament-PAC has directed the arrest, investigation and prosecution of two teachers from the Buhweju and Isingiro districts who are accused of forgery and illegally earning salaries as public servants.
The accused are Abert Ariyo Tibijuka who forged an appointment letter from the Education Service Commission indicating that he had been posted to serve as a Senior Education Officer and teacher at Nyakitoko Secondary School in Buhweju district, and Edward Senyondo who forged an appointment letter posting him to Bukanga Secondary School in Isingiro district all in western Uganda.
The committee chaired by Gulu West (Bardege-Layibi division) MP Martin Ojara Mapenduzi spent this week at Kamukuzi hill in Mbarara city western Uganda, where it grilled different accounting officers from 25 local government units of Ankole sub-region including city (Mbarara) districts and municipalities about queries that were raised in the Auditor General’s report for the financial year 2021/22.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Tibijuka who has been on government payroll for 11 years caused a loss of Ugx26 million he illegally earned as salary from the government while Senyonjo illegally earned Ugx10 million in 2 years. This means, the two illegally earned Ugx36 million in 13 years altogether.
The committee has now directed that Henry Damba, the chief administrative officer-CAO of Buhweju district and Alice Asiimwe Rushure, the Isingiro District Chief Administrative Officer-CAO be investigated and punished for causing this loss to the government by not detecting these anomalies.
The committee has filed cases of forgery against the accused at their respective police stations from where investigations are ongoing, and directed that the Parliamentary Police takes on the case and liaise with the respective police stations to expedite the investigations and have the accused arrested and prosecuted.
The committee also directed that the Human Resource Officers, the Chief Administrative Officers and Chief Finance Officers of Isingiro and Buhweju districts also record statements with police as witnesses.
