The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health Dr. Diana Atwine has said Members of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) are taking revenge on her and playing politics to undermine her credibility.
Her remarks followed a decision by legislators on the Parliamentary Accounts Committee to have her record a statement with the Parliamentary Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over alleged mismanagement of public funds for projects within the ministry leading to mischarges of over Shs 2.2BN.
Dr. Atwine had appeared before the committee to answer queries in the Auditor Generals report for the financial year 2017/2018.
“My dear friends I am in office working. Dont worry some people are settling their scores. The truth will exonerate us. She tweeted immediately after the meeting.
She said it is politics at play, and questioned how one can be judged before a fair hearing.
MP’s faulted Dr. Atwine for non observance of the Public Finance Management Act by diverting funds allocated for particular projects without authorization from the PS Ministry of Finance who is also the Secretary to the Treasury.
The motion to have Dr. Atwine and the undersecretary MOH Ronald Ssegawa handed over to CID was moved by Aruu County MP Odonga Otto after the Undersecretary of the Ministry Ronald Ssegawa admitted to have committed the mistake.
Dr. Atwine however did not specifically mention who is targeting her, but the Health Ministry where she works is characterised with internal rivalries and power struggles.
Before Dr. Diana Atwine was appointed to her current position in November 2016, she was the head of the Medicine and Health Services Delivery Monitoring Unit in State House that was specifically tasked to investigate corruption in Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
The unit in State uncovered an illegal racket by Ugandan and Kenyan officials to sell drugs across their common border brought 78 cases to court, recovered stolen drugs worth more than Shs200 million (US$60,000) and arrested at least 12 impostors pretending to be qualified health workers, when not. Then in August 2010, she revealed nearly 300 ghost workers on the payroll of Mulago national referral Hospital.