Okidi Patrick, Lira City – Residents of Lira City and Lira District are more than prepared to welcome Deputy IGG Dr. Patricia Acan Okiria, today, Friday, June 14, 2024, as she begins monitoring the PDM project implementation in Lira District and the USMID project in Lira City.
Dr. Patricia Acan Okiria, Deputy Inspector General of Government, while appearing on a radio talk show in Lira City on Thursday evening, said her main emphasis is to ensure value for money, improved communication, and decision-making processes, among other goals. She added that monitoring service delivery is part of their duties performed in all 16 branches of IG offices nationwide, including the Lira IG Regional Office.
They will hold a meeting with the people of Lira City on Today.
As the Inspectorate of Government, they are fighting corruption, supported by the Constitution of Uganda, with their main work being the prosecution of corruption cases. Dr. Patricia Acan Okiria was congratulated by several listeners while appearing on Voice of Lango FM 88.0 in the evening from 9:00 PM to 10:25 PM. Being from Palenga Sub-County, Omoro District, she was appreciated by many people from Abingdon, Acholi, and the Lango sub-region since she could speak the local language (Luo), a common dialect of the area.
Director of Projects at IG, Anne Atine, said accountability used in TAAC is evidence-based, adding that the community volunteer strategy was adopted in 2009 under the NUSAF second phase and became functional, being used in other government projects like DRDIP, among others. She noted that they detect corruption more easily and early, and it became successful because it was one approach to handle corruption quickly. It is now becoming part and parcel of government intervention, with enforcement and prosecution following very fast.
Mr. Abbas, the Regional Inspectorate Officer attached to the Lira IG Regional Office, talked about how they implement the TAAC approach, which is becoming one of the prominent tools for sensitizing the public. He continued that they also carry out monitoring and inspection/investigation during PDM monitoring. As part of their work, they also engage stakeholders to ensure that the common person understands.
Joan Ayikoro, the Supervisor of Projects at the Regional Office, urged the community to detect and report corruption as their offices are always open. She narrated that they have monitored and identified issues with some projects like PDM, UGIP, and USMID through the foot soldiers called community volunteers.
Odur Johnathan of Aduku, one of the callers now based in Masindi District, wanted to know why the ownership of PDM money was transferred from his grandmother to the first son. Another caller accused Amolatar District officials of being implicated in the PDM scandal and wanted to know the steps taken against them.
In her conclusive remarks, Dr. Patricia Acan Okiria assured one caller, Hon. Roy, who inquired whether IG is only focusing on Lira at the moment, that they are monitoring all government projects in the country. For example, on the evening of Thursday, June 13, 2024, Dr. Patricia was in Soroti, adding that they also visited other areas such as Ntungamo, Kabale, Mbarara, and Jinja recently. The government launched PDM in Kibuku to benefit 39 percent of the population stuck in total poverty. She said some people were arrested in Ngora and Kitgum and refunded the money.
Acan finally told the listeners to work together with IG to kick corruption out of Uganda because corruption is like cancer.
