Tayebwa seeks answers to unused health loan for Karamoja

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has directed the finance minister to report to the House within five days, on why a loan to improve health structures in Karamoja, has not been utilised.

Tayebwa also tasked the Committee on National Economy during the plenary sitting on Thursday, 14 July 2022 to carry out a study on all government loans passed by the House and report on their implementation in a fortnight.

The directives were issued during his communication from the chair and come on the heels of the food scarcity currently afflicting residents of Karamoja sub-region.

According to Tayebwa, the 10th Parliament passed a resolution, approving an interest-free loan of Euros 10 million to support the improvement of health facilities in Karamoja.

However, no developments have taken course regarding the subject of the loan.

The Deputy Speaker pointed out a loan recommended by the Committee on National Economy and passed by the 10th Parliament at the same time, which aimed at carrying out a mineral search in Karamoja.

The loan from the Corporate Internationalisation Fund of Spain worth Euros 20.622 million was to cater for the airborne geophysical survey and geological mapping in Karamoja.

Tayebwa said the committee at the time, expeditiously handled the two loans so as to ensure the Karimojong received good health care as a mineral survey is executed.

“The loan to carry out the geophysical survey was awarded to Xcalibur Geophysics Spain. The survey has ended and the data submitted, but the loan for the health facilities has not been signed yet it is an interest-free loan,” he said.

“The loan is in our loan book. When you hear our debt to GDP ratio, this loan is one of those listed,” he added.

He observed that the ocuntry had several loans that were approved by Parliament but are not serving their intended purpose.

“The problem we usually face with loans is not the borrowing but rather where we allocate the money to and how it is utilised,” he regretted.