The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has asked officials from the Office of the Prime (OPM) to furnish Parliament with documentary evidence of how Shs9.6Bn was spent on training some Youths on how to drink coffee in Uganda This was after the unearthing that some of the coffee shops paid for by Government are non-existent.
Robert Limlim, Director of, the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) at OPM submitted to Public Accounts Committee – PAC that training of youths on how to drink coffee saying it was geared towards bringing the youths into the coffee economy and the package also entailed procurement of coffee equipment.
The MPs’ concerns were in response to findings in the December 2022 Auditor General’s report which pointed out flaws in the Memorandum of Understanding – MOU which OPM signed with Inspire Africa (U) Limited amounting to Shs9.662Bn to undertake a number of activities including teaching Uganda on coffee consumptions
The OPM reported carrying out the teaching of youths financial literacy and business management skills at Shs2.652Bn while the project administration cost Shs1.271Bn, thus bringing the total to Shs9.662Bn.
In the findings of the Auditor General Inspire Africa was paid Shs1.906Bn for setting up coffee shops and the attendant infrastructure in Arua, Mbale Lira, Gulu, and Tororo, however, it was established that except for Gulu, the coffee shops were either non-existent in some places or non-operational in areas where they were supposed to be placed.
Nandala Mafabi (Budadiri West) who chaired the meeting notes that despite being the Chairman of Bugisu Cooperative Union, he had never come across this coffee shop in Mbale.
MPs demanded a spot check by the Committee to establish the availability of these coffee shops in the districts of Lira, Gulu, and Mbale as well as the coffee farms in Nwoya and Lomwo districts.
The committee assigned a policeman attached to Parliament’s Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) to make spot checks and produce the report on their findings next week.
The committee was also stunned to learn that Inspire Africa was directly procured without undergoing procurement regulations.
