Speaker now orders stay of Lubowa Hospital visit
PARLIAMENT | Speaker Anita Among has suspended the impending visit of construction site of the controversial Lubowa International Specialised Hospital by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.
Ms Among cited the need for assurance of the protective gear for the visiting MPs.
According to the chairperson of the Committee Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, the Speaker's directive is based on the letter received from the Ministry of Finance addressed to the Clerk to Parliament notifying the committee that the contractor is not ready to host them.
Lubowa hospital, a suspected white elephant that has guzzled over Shs400 billion from the taxpayer, has played a brutal hide and seek game with the public, locking and kicking out legislators who tried to access the facility.
Earlier this month, the hospital said it had finally kicked off construction works but behind its high-rise perimeter wall fencing, few can be so sure as images captured by drone cameras in the recent past appeared to show not even a while elephant inside.
PAC has now intensified its demands for the Auditor General to release its report on Lubowa hospital so as to facilitate the ongoing auditing works of the committee.
Flanked by the vice chaiperson of the committee Gorreth Namugga, Kivumbi says the delay in releasing the audit report is not only frustrating the committee work but also a sign of wastage of the tax payers money.
"There is no way you can sit on the audit report of Lubowa hospital, what are you hiding in that report of Lubowa my namesake Muwanga?" Kivumbi asked.
"My party deployed me to clean this committee and I'm here to ensure accountability is given to the dot. Lets be patient as of now but at the right time we shall go and monitor the progress of this specialized hospital."
The committee has also summoned the the Minister of Health, Dr Ruth Aceng, and Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine to over the controversy surrounding the construction of the alleged specialized hospital at Lubowa.
The two top officials from the Ministry of Health are expected to appear before PAC on Monday.
