KAMPALA. The Inspector General of Government, Justice Irene Mulyagonja, has directed the Head of Public Service, Mr John Mitala, to punish officials in the Ministry of Energy over their alleged role in the procurement of a South African firm for a contract to mark fuel products in the country.
The IGG’s directive contained in a March 13, correspondence to Mr Mitala and copied to the Energy ministry Permanent Secretary Kabagambe Kaliisa, questioned the procurement process saying it was marred with irregularities.
The directive follows investigations into the alleged procurement of Global Fluids International (GFI) to mark fuel products- diesel, petrol and gasoline.
“The accounting officer, Mr Kabagambe Kaliisa, should be warned never to preside over a procurement process which breaches the provisions of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) laws,” the letter reads in part. The letter, further reads: “The accounting officer should specifically reprimand the Rev Frank Tukwasibwe, for “mismanaging this transaction right from the start.” Reverend Tukwasibwe is head of Petroleum Supply Department and Midstream Petroleum Unit in the Ministry, which is mandated to promote and regulate supply of products that meet standards.“Disciplinary action should also be taken against Mr Patrick Muhindo, Ms Agnes Alaba, Mr Simon Kalanzi, and Mr John Bosco Suuza, all members of the ministry’s contracts committee.”
GFI, was outsourced to monitor fuel imports after Energy ministry officials rendered the standards body, Uganda National Bureau of Standards, “inefficient” to do the job and for other related reasons, notably conflict of interest.
This was in the wake of a rise in adulterated fuels on the market. In January 2008, the ministry restricted international bidding to GFI alone for a period of five years, which expired in 2012.
The procurement was marred with irregularities, according to an earlier investigation by PPDA, upon which disciplinary action was taken against officials involved.
In 2012, the IGG report indicates the ministry’s contracts committee headed by Rev Tukwasibwe, however, extended GFI’s contract. “The extended contract involved substantial changes in terms of references and the contract price, which should have been handled through a competitive bidding process as per the PPDA regulations,” the report reads.
The punishment of officials according to the directive should be effected before the month ends. Mr Mitala was not available for comment.
The Rev Tukwasibwe in an earlier interview said his actions were in good faith and “GFI has done a good job to tame fuel adulteration.”