KAMPALA – Doreen Amule, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs is slated to table a report on investigations into the Leaners Project under the National Identification And Registration Authority (NIRA) in which the Committee is calling for a forensic audit into the project.
The investigation that was manned by Judith Nabakooba led team before leadership of the Committee changed to Amule defended the decision to have a forensic report stating that official figures show that more than 48.1% of the population of Uganda is below the age of 15 years and that the success of the Learners’ Project reflects the success of the NIRA Registration of Persons exercise as a whole.
The Committee noted that it is, therefore, pertinent that the Project is managed with the clout it deserves and that those managing it be held accountable for its success or failure.
In its findings, the Committee revealed that the Project equipment used was old, which negatively affected the smooth implementation of the registration exercise.
“Cameras, laptops and other accessories including batteries were outdated, yet Parliament had approved a budget for the procurement of new equipment and other accessories during the budget for financial year, 2016l17,” read in part the report.
The investigations further highlighted that the equipment that was used in the Learner’s Project is the same equipment that was used during the registration of 2014.
The Committee further established that, whereas 2000 (two thousand) laptops and batteries were procured for the exercise at the cost of Shs.7.98Bn delivery was only made at the end of the Project hence, the expenditure did not meet the needs of the Project.
The report read in part; “The Committee recommends that a serious investigation should be instituted on NIRA Management regarding all procurements. That should include the procurement of generators, lap-tops, batteries; and all other procurements that were meant to assist the registration of learners’ Project.”
It added, “The Committee further recommends that the Auditor General should conduct a Forensic Audtt on the registration of learners Project and if any discrepancies are found; the culprits should be interdicted.”
The report which was completed in March 2018 has been within Parliament’s shelves for over a year and Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah set to preside over the debate on the Committee findings before a final decision is taken by Parliament.
