Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has urged the public and the opposition to stop accusing her of stealing iron sheets meant for Karamoja.
Speaking at St Jude Lukaya Parish in Kalungu District on Sunday, Nabbanja rebuked Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi for spreading the narrative that she is among the corrupt officials.
“Stop accusing me of stealing iron sheets. Talk about the things you have done for the people,” she said.
“I have never stolen iron sheets. Don’t accuse me of stealing iron sheets. You have done the likes of [Mathias] Mpuuga giving themselves Shs500m, did you hear my name among those? By the time I became Prime Minister, I had already roofed my house with roofing tiles (tegula),
The other iron sheets I took them to Kagadi where they were used to roof a church. So don’t spoil my name, Ssenyonyi and team,” she said.
The Prime Minister was speaking in response to Ssenyonyi, who in his remarks at the function said: “The problem of corruption will kill our country. Money is stolen; iron sheets are stolen, even from the Office of the Prime Minister.”
Ssenyonyi, accompanied by other legislators, including Hon. Katabaazi Francis, Hon. Ndiwalana Christine, and Nabbanja attended a mass at St. Jude Lukaya Parish in Kalungu to celebrate the parish’s silver jubilee.
Holy mass was led by his Bishop of Masaka Diocese Serverus Jjumba.
In April this year , the country was hit with the news of diversion of ironsheets meant for the vulnerable people in karamoja by government officials.
The iron sheets were procured using part of the shs39.9billion supplementary budget meant for disarmament and community empowerment program for the reformed youth warriors known as Karachunas and other vulnerable groups like the elderly and women in Karamoja sub-region.
The distribution exercise was over halted after anomalies emerged relating to the diversion of relief iron sheets meant for the vulnerable poor in the Karamoja sub-region with three ministers battling charges of diverting iron sheets before the anti-corruption court.
In April, the DPP arraigned the two ministers before the Anti-Corruption Court over alleged diversion of thousands of iron sheets meant for partly reformed warriors (karachunas) in Karamoja Sub-region.
Karamoja Affairs Minister Gorette Kitutu faces two counts of loss of public property and one count of conspiracy to defraud. They deny the charges.
