'Karamoja Iron Sheets? What are those?' Nabbanja denies Kitutu

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has denied receiving any iron sheets meant for Karamoja relief.

Nabbanja insists that she received only 500 pieces of Iron Sheets under the Office of the Prime Minister’s Affirmative Actoon programs, which she says should not be confused with the ones meant for Karamoja.

“I am a Member of Parliament, I got only 500 iron sheets for Kakumiro under our affirmative action program, even MPs under Bunyoro got iron sheets and we distributed them to the vulnerable people in our area,” Nabbanja said.

Nabbanja denied the 500 pieces of iron sheets signed in her name from the Minister of Karamoja Mary Goretti Kitutu.

“No, the iron sheets did not come from Karamoja,” Nabbanja insisted.

Nabbanja made case for the rest of the ministers, urging investigators to desist from airing out issues from investigations before evidence is adduced.

According to Nabbanja, this is tantamount to character assassination.

“These ministers are human, they have children, they have feelings,  if you air out something when still half baked, you damage the government, you damage the institution and the reputation of your colleagues,” Nabbanja said.

However, Nabbanja now says that iron sheets that were taken by some leaders and were neither distributed nor used should be returned to the stores and utilised by Karamoja.

“I am happy to report that there are those that have been returned, like for Nandutu (Agness),” Nabbanja said.

She said the occurrences are “regrettable” and will help in the review so that nothing of the sort happens ever again.

Following the iron sheets scandal involving Minister Kitutu, Nabbanja was quick to dismiss that the iron sheets in question were not for Karamoja, adding that the beneficiaries included the Vice President and herself.

However, in an interface with the Presidential Affairs Committee yesterday, Vice President Jessica Alupo hinted that the iron sheets she received albeit in absentia were from Minister Kitutu, despite the fact that she did not request them.

Other ministers, except Nabbanja, have also accepted that they received iron sheets from Kitutu without requesting for them. The same ministers appear on a list together with Nabbanja.