“I am a preacher, I am clean,” - Betty Kamya

The former Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development Betty Kamya has refuted allegations that she was shy and faking a heart complication to appear before the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises– COSASE .

This was after her failure to appear, this week to answer to allegations of fraud at the Uganda Land Commission-ULC,on grounds of suffering from “a heart attack” generated public reactions and speculation.

The investigations stemmed from queries in the Auditor General’s report for the financial year 2019/2020 that captured questionable transactions causing financial loss to the government.

The chairperson of the commitee Joel Ssenyonyi informed the MPs that he received information that Kamya had developed ‘excruciating pain in the heart’ and was rushed to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention, and could not attend the meeting until she recovers.

While appearing on Uganda’s Number One radio talk show, The Capital Gang, she said she had no hand in the alleged fraud.

“I did not initiate a supplementary budget but I wrote as a minister to a colleague ministry of finance and I copied the technical people who initiated the supplementary. There was an adhoc committee established by the speaker then, and they investigated all these things and I was not found culpable of not doing my work.”

The visibly distraught Kamya added, “..really when people go on and…it really hurt me because some of us, Me I am a preacher and I wear the surplice and I go to preach in Church.”said Kamya.

Her remarks though inspired government spokesman, Ofwono Opondo to interject and remind the audience that there are preachers in the country who are known to lack diligence and so, Batty Kamya’s response should not be taken at face value.

Among the queries, the Auditor General reported included, for instance, as of June 30, 2020, the payables balance for land compensation was Shillings 28 billion.

However, the report noted that the relevant supporting journals and documents for the liability of Shillings 9.4 billion were not availed for review rendering the genuineness of the liabilities doubtful.

Also, payables amounting to Shillings 15 billion were overstated in relation to the claim balance due to the compensation of Church of Uganda. In a related matter, the Auditor General reported that the ULC does not have a land inventory despite Shillings 546 million being allocated for the purpose yet as of March 28, 2020, the Commission had already spent Shillings 298 million.