Uganda PM Nabbanja Audit Reveals Shs60bn Elgon Resettlement Fraud

• A government audit led by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja uncovered significant fraud in Uganda's Elgon sub-region landslide resettlement program.
• The verification exercise identified potential Shs60 billion in inflated claims across beneficiary lists in districts like Namisindwa and Bududa.
• Discrepancies included a village of eight people listed as 58, and thousands of unverified households on official records.
• Allegations suggest some Gombolola Internal Security Officers (GISOs) manipulated lists by adding relatives or accepting payments for inclusion.
• The Prime Minister warned that these inflated lists jeopardize the relocation of genuinely vulnerable families and strain the Shs43 billion allocated for the program's initial phases.

The initial findings from this verification effort reveal a potentially massive financial exposure, with inflated claims estimated to reach nearly Shs60 billion.

A comprehensive government verification exercise, spearheaded by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, has brought to light significant irregularities within the beneficiary lists for Uganda's critical landslide resettlement program in the Elgon sub-region. Initiated in Namisindwa District on October 21, the audit has since expanded its scope to include Bududa, Bulambuli, and Sironko districts. This rigorous process involves meticulously cross-referencing existing beneficiary data with National Identification and Registration Authority records, alongside conducting direct door-to-door visits in communities vulnerable to landslides.

The primary objective is to confirm the genuine identities and eligibility of individuals before the disbursement of a compassionate resettlement package, which allocates Shs18 million to each qualifying household for the acquisition of land in safer locales and the establishment of a new home.

The initial findings from this verification effort reveal a potentially massive financial exposure, with inflated claims estimated to reach nearly Shs60 billion. Prime Minister Nabbanja highlighted substantial discrepancies during an entry meeting in Bulambuli, specifically citing issues within Namisindwa and Bududa districts. In Namisindwa, preliminary checks confirmed only about 700 households were eligible for assistance, a stark contrast to the 2,016 initially registered. Similarly, in Bududa, approximately 1,100 households were verified, significantly fewer than the original list of 3,200 beneficiaries. Nabbanja provided vivid examples of this inflation, noting instances where a village with just eight residents had 58 names on a list, and parishes with 89 or 200 households were similarly overrepresented.

The combined difference between the registered and verified households in Namisindwa and Bududa alone totals 3,416 entries. Had these unverified entries been approved for payment, the government would have faced an additional expenditure of approximately Shs61.5 billion, based on the Shs18 million allocated per household. This potential financial drain is particularly concerning given that the government had allocated around Shs43 billion for the initial phases of the resettlement program.

These recent discoveries corroborate earlier accusations made by Prime Minister Nabbanja during a press briefing at Mbale Resort Hotel, where she pointed to deliberate manipulation of beneficiary lists. She specifically implicated some Gombolola Internal Security Officers (GISOs), alleging they had included their own relatives on the lists. Furthermore, Nabbanja suggested that other individuals had paid bribes to secure their inclusion in the resettlement program.

The Namisindwa District Chairperson, Ema Bwayo, supported the necessity of the verification exercise, explaining that the original beneficiary lists, compiled in 2016, were exclusively created by officials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and GISOs, notably without the involvement of local community leaders. This historical context suggests a potential vulnerability to fraud in the initial compilation process.

The Prime Minister emphasized that such inflated beneficiary lists directly jeopardize the government's capacity to effectively relocate families genuinely at risk from landslides. She issued a stern warning that inflating numbers would hinder life-saving efforts, potentially leading the government to declare insufficient funds while the actual number of people needing resettlement is manageable. Nabbanja also issued a directive to exclude any households that had previously benefited from government resettlement initiatives from receiving further assistance.

Her personal, hands-on involvement in the verification, which she stated was not initially intended for her level, became necessary due to persistent reports of inflated beneficiary figures. She even expressed frustration with some officials coordinating the exercise, accusing them of deliberately choosing longer, more arduous routes, despite the availability of shorter alternatives, which she felt was an attempt to impede her progress.

Lawyers and compliance officers should advise clients involved in Ugandan government resettlement or aid programs to conduct thorough internal audits and strengthen fraud prevention measures, as the Prime Minister's verification exercise signals heightened scrutiny and potential for legal action against those involved in manipulating beneficiary lists and inflating claims.

Source: Original reporting via government audit findings.