KAMPALA: The Executive Director of National water and sewage corporation (NWSC), Mr Silver Mugisha has responded to Inspector General of Government (IGG) Beti Kamya’s move to reopen investigations into the Shs17b National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) procurement process of prepaid water metres that malfunctioned eight years ago.
This follows Kamya’s tweet on her official Twitter handle in which she assured Ugandans that she will reopen investigations.
“I want to assure Ugandans that the IGG will reopen the Shs17 billion NWSC procurement of prepaid metres without fear or favour,” a December 29 tweet from Ms Kamya read in part.
According to a whistle-blowers’ bid, they want the Executive Director Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA), Canon Benson Turamye, and the Executive Director of NWSC, Mr Silver Mugisha, investigated for allegedly blocking a probe into the issue.
The IGG told this publication in a separate interview yesterday: “I assure you that I will also reopen investigations on NWSC immediately and on Mr Turamye. 2022 is going to be a year of action and zero tolerance on corruption and I assure you this time heads will roll. I’m determined to leave a legacy in the office of the IGG, it’s not going to be business- as- usual.”
In his response, Mr Mugisha yesterday said: “It is true, NWSC bought metres which developed issues and what the corporation had to do was to ensure that it does not lose money.”
“PPDA investigated this matter and there is an 80-page report. The IGG says she wants to investigate the matter but what I know is that she cannot investigate what PPDA has already investigated. If they are dissatisfied with the report, they can go to court,” he said.
Whistle-blowers further allege that Mr Turamye ignored the investigations for his personal benefit, an allegation he denied.
“We handled the investigation as PPDA and closed them and there is even a report to that effect. I would have shared it with you if I wasn’t away. So how can someone claim we ignored to carry out investigations?” Mr Turamye asked yesterday in a telephone interview.
The IGG told this publication in a separate interview yesterday.
Inspector General of Government (IGG) Beti Kamya has said she will reopen investigations into the Shs17b National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) procurement process of prepaid water metres that malfunctioned eight years ago.
“I want to assure Ugandans that the IGG will reopen the Shs17 billion NWSC procurement of prepaid metres without fear or favour,” a December 29 tweet from Ms Kamya read in part.
According to a whistle-blowers’ bid, they want the Executive Director Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA), Canon Benson Turamye, and the Executive Director of NWSC, Mr Silver Mugisha, investigated for allegedly blocking a probe into the issue.
The IGG told this publication in a separate interview yesterday: “I assure you that I will also reopen investigations on NWSC immediately and on Mr Turamye. 2022 is going to be a year of action and zero tolerance on corruption and I assure you this time heads will roll. I’m determined to leave a legacy in the office of the IGG, it’s not going to be business- as- usual.”
In his response, Mr Mugisha yesterday said: “It is true, NWSC bought metres which developed issues and what the corporation had to do was to ensure that it does not lose money.”
“PPDA investigated this matter and there is an 80-page report. The IGG says she wants to investigate the matter but what I know is that she cannot investigate what PPDA has already investigated. If they are dissatisfied with the report, they can go to court,” he said.
Whistle-blowers further allege that Mr Turamye ignored the investigations for his personal benefit, an allegation he denied.
“We handled the investigation as PPDA and closed them and there is even a report to that effect. I would have shared it with you if I wasn’t away. So how can someone claim we ignored to carry out investigations?” Mr Turamye asked yesterday in a telephone interview.
“If she (IGG) wants to reopen the investigations, for us we already handled it and there is a report. I know there are people out there who are mudslinging and character assassinating me,” he added.
Mr Mugisha in statement on Tuesday said the systems malfunctioned within two years of operation.
“NWSC took administrative measures with the supplier to mitigate any financial loss to the corporation. This involved withholding equivalent payments to the supplier and cashing performance security,” he stated.
Mr Mugisha added: “About three years ago, PPDA carried out a comprehensive performance audit on the matter, in accordance with the law. PPDA report returned a raft of measures and recommendations that NWSC management and Board, have since acted on fully. NWSC is currently developing its own prepaid metre technology, based on experiences we have had with prepaid metres.”
