Legislators sitting on the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry were left dumbfounded by the revelation from officials of the Ministry of Trade who confirmed that a staggering Shs400m was spent in moving documents from the Ministry’s office in Kampala to its stores in Entebbe.
The Ministry offices are located at Farmers House in Kampala Central Business District. However, there was a need to transfer documents to the Ministry's stores in Entebbe, just about 50kms away, all this came at a cost of Shs400m.
The officials who appeared before the committee said they do not know how that happened, instead referring to the Permanent Secretary Ms Geraldine Ssali, whom they said had an idea of why such an expense was incurred.
Meanwhile, Ssali snubbed the committee sitting, urging that she had already provided the necessary information, hence no need to attend.
According to the Mwine Mpaaka Committee, the same Ministry also spent Shs 26 million to deliver laptop computers to its workers at home when the renovation of the Ministry headquarters was taking place. The delivered computers had been procured at Shs160 million.
The committee heard from other witnesses who included; the Principal Assistant Secretary at the Ministry Everest Ahimbisibwe and the former head of procurement who pinned the Permanent Secretary Geraldine Ssaali of cancelling the procurement process for the procurement of 5 new vehicles for the Ministers and fraudulently getting a new supplier.
According to these government officials, even the 5 vehicles procured by the PS were old and at a higher rate of Shs600 million each instead of the 500 million shillings that had been approved by the Finance Treasury.
The committee was then told that after the Head of Procurement failed to agree with the boss to sign the exorbitant figure, the office attendant, Tom Opiyo was duped and made to sign the documents.
The issue of the Shs5b meant for the Ministry to shift from the dilapidated structure at the Farmers House also generated a serious debate with findings pinning the Permanent Secretary for changing the work plan and diverting the resources to just renovate the structure.
According to the officials, the renovation was supposed to cost Shs3.1bn shillings away from the exaggerated figure of Shs6.8b.
The lack of information by the Ministry engineer and Lawyer while defending the Permanent secretary made legislators put them on oath.
The Committee also issued fresh summons against Geraldine Ssali, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Trade, after Evarist Ahimbisibwe, the former Principle Administrative Secretary at the Ministry, revealed he was transferred to another Ministry after refusing to sign the contract with inflated prices, and his subordinate was used to complete the signing process.