Education, finance ministries failed to coordinate transfer of money to students in China- Bahati
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government has blamed the erroneous transfer of 2.2 billion shillings to students in China to lack of coordination between the Ministry of Finance, and that of Education.
In a letter dated March 10, 2020, addressed to the Ugandan Embassy in Beijing, China, the Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary Keith Muhakanizi says that the treasury which was meant to send USD 61,800 (228 million Shillings) instead transferred up to USD 600,000 (2.2 billion Shillings), an excess of USD 538,200 (1.9 billion Shillings).
The money was meant to support Ugandan students stuck in China following the Coronavirus outbreak.
According to David Bahati, the State Minister of Finance in charge of Planning, although cabinet had approved the transfer of 61,800 US dollars (228 million Shillings), they transferred 600,000 US dollars (approximately 2.2 billion shillings) erroneously as this was per the request of the Ministry of Education.
Bahati who was responding to matters of national importance raised by some MPs in Parliament on Wednesday said the problem was a lack of coordination between the two Ministries.
He, however, said the money will be recovered. Patrick Opolot Isiagi, the MP Kachumbala questioned what exactly happened and also whether there were transactional costs involved.
Ayivu county MP Bernard Atiku tasked the minister to explain what the implications of sending the excess money would be.
Bahati says that before the cabinet approved the 228 million Shillings, the Ministry of Education had already put in a request of 2.2 billion shillings which was being processed before the cabinet’s intervention.
Following the coronavirus outbreak, many countries including Uganda decided not to repatriate their students in China for fear of spreading the disease. Instead, they decided to support them financially from wherever they are in China.
There are 105 students stuck in China, a country in crisis and with an expensive economy following the outbreak.
With the 228 million shillings, each of the 105 students can get 2.1 million shillings if the money is equally divided. However, if the same number of students were to be given the 2.2 billion, each one of them would take home 21 million shillings.
There are so far 121,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide and 4,378 deaths.
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