President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa’s Ugandan government has announced it will borrow billions from the World Bank even after the international lender threatened to free loans to Kampala over the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
This after a Museveni Minister left Ugandans shocked after revealing that a huge chunk of the budget for the Office of the Prime Minister has been spent on buying firewood to help refugees prepare meals.
Months ago, the World Bank announced it would no longer give Uganda money over homosexual rights. (See Details Here).
But now, Hillary Onek, the Minister of Relief and Disaster Preparedness, has told a parliamentary committee that government plans to borrow US$280m (about Shs1.059tn) from World Bank to support refugees living in Uganda.
Minister Onek said the money would go to supporting projects in refugee hosting districts and toexpand to cover transit district for refugees such as Bundibugyo, Amuru, Kisoro, and Kitgum.
The money, continued Onek, “will ensure that the services there can meet the demand of the kind of population that is coming.”
Meanwhile, the minister also revealed that Uganda spends US$1.3bn (about Shs4.944tn) annually on refugee response, of which, Shs4.019tn goes towards the purchase of firewood for refugees to cook their food.
He noted that up to 1.3 million refugees (97 per cent of refugees in the country) use firewood. About Shs5,000 is spent on each refugee per day as indicated by research reports of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), World Bank, World Food Programme (WFP).
This revelation comes on the heels of another shocking development where government launched the digital number plates project to allow a controversial Russian company milk billions from Ugandan car and bodaboda owners and riders. (See Details Here).
Regarding World Bank loan freeze threats over homosexual rights, a number of projects will no longer get money. Also, a Museveni minister has previously revealed that salaries of government employees may be reduced over the decision by the World Bank. (Read Stories Here and There).
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