The Public Accounts Committee (Local Government) has directed Nakasongola to suspend and review any deals involving the sale or purchase of district property following concerns over the undervaluation of government assets.
The committee, chaired by Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze, issued the directive after examining findings in the Auditor General’s report for the 2024/25 financial year.
The Auditor General’s report raised concerns about the valuation of land and other properties belonging to Nakasongola District.
The committee was told that the district’s property, including more than 50 square miles of land, tertiary institutions and health facilities, had been valued at about Shs84 billion.
Nambooze questioned how government property could be sold or transferred without proper valuation by a government-approved valuer.
She said the committee suspected that some former district officials could have worked with individuals seeking to acquire government land and other public assets.
“I am now saying that whoever bought or sold any government property or land without the valuation of the government valuer, that transaction is null and void,” Nambooze said.
The committee directed the district authorities to stop any transactions involving district property as investigations and verification of ownership and valuation continue.
Nakasongola County MP Ivan Kyeyune, who is also a member of the committee, told the meeting that several pieces of land belonging to the district had allegedly been sold by district authorities, while others had been encroached on by residents.
The committee also raised concerns about the attendance of some district employees.
Nambooze said the committee had received information that some workers rarely report to the district offices, with some allegedly attending work for only two days in a week.
She said the district leadership needed to account for the whereabouts and performance of employees whose attendance was in question.
The committee also expressed concern about increasing pressure on land in Nakasongola following government plans to elevate the area to city status.
Nambooze said the prospect of Nakasongola becoming a city had attracted people from outside the district who were allegedly buying large pieces of land from residents in anticipation of increased land values.
She said the situation could become more serious if government begins major infrastructure projects in the area.
“I have been told that government is preparing to get a loan of US$10 billion for the development of Nakasongola, but now the pressure has shifted to the district, especially from a few individuals who want to buy big chunks of land and later sell them to government,” she said.
The committee warned that such transactions could expose residents and the government to losses if land is acquired cheaply and later sold to the state at inflated prices.
The MPs called for proper documentation, valuation and verification of district land to protect public property and residents from possible land grabbing.
The committee also questioned the district’s handling of pension payments to retired civil servants.
Nambooze said the district’s human resource officer and Chief Administrative Officer had been required to answer questions before the police Criminal Investigations Directorate over alleged irregularities in the management of pension payments.
The committee found that one pension beneficiary, Joan Ebaju, was supposed to receive about Shs37 million after the money had been sent to the district.
However, the committee was told that Ebaju received only Shs17 million.
The discrepancy prompted the committee to demand an explanation from the district officials responsible for processing and paying pension benefits.
Nambooze said the matter needed to be investigated so that pensioners receive the full amounts due to them.
The committee also clashed with leaders of Parish Development Model SACCOs over the recovery and management of PDM funds.
Leaders representing 68 parish SACCOs appeared before the MPs as the committee examined how the Shs1 million PDM revolving fund had been distributed and managed.
Some SACCO leaders told the committee that they had understood the money to be a form of appreciation for supporting the ruling National Resistance Movement during the campaigns.
They also said that when Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja visited their areas during the campaigns, they were allegedly told to distribute the PDM money to whoever was available, even where beneficiaries might not be able to repay it.
The MPs rejected the explanation, reminding the SACCO leaders that the PDM funds are a revolving fund intended to help beneficiaries improve their household incomes and businesses.
Nambooze and other committee members said the responsibility of SACCO leaders was to ensure that eligible residents receive the money and repay it within the stipulated period so that other members can benefit.
The MPs warned SACCO leaders against treating public funds as political gifts, saying failure to recover the money would prevent other residents from accessing the programme.
At the end of the meeting, the committee gave the Nakasongola district leadership three months to correct the problems identified during the examination.
