Dr. Ogwel received over Shs200m in allowances in FY2021/22, but did money reach some beneficiaries?

By Emmanuel Sekago

Kampala – With all the investigations going on at the National Council of Sports (NCS), one wonders why government continues to send sports federation and associations funds to an institution under probe.

There is a lot of government funds being mismanaged at NCS; the body mandated to oversee all the 51 federations and association and recently the Inspectorate of Government released its report on how funds were mismanaged.

Wallnetnews in this edition reveals what the General Secretary Dr. Bernard Patrick Ogwel received in financial year 2021-2022 in allowances totaling to Shs209,271,400 paid through his Equity Bank account but shockingly some of the allowances as shown in the break down were meant for National Council of Sports staff. But did they receive it?

We don’t know if the parliamentary Select Committee, Inspectorate of Government, and the Auditor General managed to unearth the anomalies in these allowances Dr. Ogwel received. It should be noted that some sports federations like the Uganda Handball Federation got no funding for the whole financial year 2021-2022.

On September 2nd 2021, he received shs300,000 as lunch for July, August and September 2021, and Shs1,050,000 as airtime for July, August and September 2021, yet on September 10^th 2021, he received shs3,000,000 as entertainment allowance for July, August and September 2021. He also on that day received Shs2,400,000 as fuel allowance for July, August and September 2021.

We established that on September 9^th Dr. Ogwel received Shs21,282,900 as allowance to attend male netball championships in South Africa and more so, Uganda Netball Federation also catered for him during his stay in South Africa.

There is a lot of money at NCS  meant for sports federations and associations to promote various sports disciplines but it doesn’t get to them only for the officials at NCS to swindle.

On September 21^st 2021, he received Shs1,290,900 as fuel and facilitation for attending various national sports events yet on September 28^th he again received Shs750,000 as facilitation for General Secretary to visit national stadia in Gulu, Lira, Masaka, Mbarara, Kapchorwa, Mbale, Tororo and Jinja.

On the same day, he was paid Shs250,000 as facilitation for business and investment committee meeting, Shs250,000 also received that day as transport and sitting allowance for attending finance and administration committee meeting, and more Shs250,000 received as transport and sitting allowances for attending audit committee meeting.

On September 30^th he received Shs250,000 as sitting allowance for attending full council meeting at Copper Chimney Restaurant. On October 15^th 2021, he received Shs2,400,000 as fuel for the month of October to December 2021.

On that same day, he received Shs300,000 as staff lunch allowance for October, November and December 2021. But remember all these allowances were paid on his Equity Bank account.

Again on October 19^th 2021, he received Shs1,000,000 as Council burial arrangement towards burial of General Secretary’s father in law Benjamin Elemu, and on October 25^th , he received Shs130,000 as facilitation allowance for staff attending exit meeting at the Office of the Auditor General meeting on 18th October 2021 which we understand that staff didn’t get.

You have been hearing of accountability issues about Dr. Ogwel claiming that Namibia government catered for the Uganda national team but we have also unearthed that on November 5^th he received Shs15,144,300 facilitation to Namibia with the She Cranes for pent series and world cup qualifiers, yet Uganda Netball Federation catered for him during his stay.

Still on the same trip he Dr. Ogwel on November 2nd received Shs14,144,300 as facilitation for the head of government delegation to Namibia with the She Cranes for pent series and world cup qualifiers and on November 15^th received Shs130,000 as Safari Day allowance for working on 6th November 2021.

As the year was ending 2021, on December 17^th , he received Shs3,250,000 as consultancy services as long term facilitation for management oversight for sports through regional revitalization of sports activities in Karamoja and Kapchorwa. On the also same day, he also received Shs520,000 as IFMS  training at ITF center-facilitation, and on December 31^st 2022, he received Shs650,000 as Safari Day allowance for working during the festive season and also Shs1,250,000 as facilitation for Council and committee meetings for conclusion of second quarter OF FY2021/22.

In 2021, he ended the year just swimming in allowances and started where he stopped as on February 28^th , 2022, he received Shs1,350,000 as payment for staff lunch, transport and airtime for the month of January to March 2022, while earlier on February 24^th he received Shs1,050,000 as payment for lunch and airtime allowances.

On February 28^th he received Shs3,000,000 as payment for General Secretary’s entertainment allowance for the month of January to February 2022, and received an addition of Shs390,000 as payment for facilitation allowance for attending IFMS  training on record and tracking of domestics arrears.

He also received Shs750,000 as payment for attending the inauguration of new Council members on March 3^rd 2022 at Copper Chimney Restaurant in Kampala.

When it came to the month of March, 2022, he received allowances of all sorts as on March 3^rd he received Shs2,400,000 as payment for fuel for Council chairman and staff for the month of January to February 2022, and Shs1,560,000 as payment for facilitation to represent council during various sports functions.

On March 7th,  he received Shs250,000 as payment for facilitation for top management for attending incoming Council board induction on 07/03/2022.

On March 17th, he received Shs200,000 as payment for facilitation for council members for attending joint meeting between NCS and PES on 11th March 2022, Shs250,000 was for payment of facilitation for training Council staff on terrorism and fire safety while Shs130,000 for payment for facilitation for attending consultative meeting with national sports federations/association on 17th March 2022. On March 16^th  he received Shs130,000 as payment for Safari Day allowance for working on Saturday 12th March 2022 for official duties.

On March 21st, he received Shs250,000 as payment for facilitation during consultative meeting with officials from physical education and sports – Ministry of Education and sports on 18th March 2022.

On March 22nd, he received Shs1,250,000 as payment for facilitation for council meetings to discuss quarter three of financial year 2021-2022 report, while on March 25th he received Shs12,957,500 as per diem for Douala-Cameroon for benchmarking and Shs250,000 as facilitation for a special meeting of federations and associations.

When it came to March 30^th , he received Shs500,000 as payment for facilitation to represent Council at the Ateker Cup finals for 2021-2022, that day he received Shs780,000 as payment for Safari Day allowance for staff attending the IFMS continuous training on the system, Shs1,560,000 as payment facilitation to attend the burial of the late Speaker of Parliament in Omoro district.

He also received Shs500,000 and Shs1,250,000 as payment for fuel  for council officials to attend residential retreat to harmonize the sports bill.

Shs130,000 was payment for facilitation for attending a meeting to handle sports policy on 17^th  March 2022, another Shs130,000 was paid as facilitation to attend reception to mark the Commonwealth day 2022 at the residence of British High commission on 10^th March 2022.

Shs250,000 as facilitation for attending the national sports forum on 30th-March 2022, and Shs600,000 as payment for fuel to Soroti to represent council at the Ateker Cup finals for 2021/2022

On March 31st, he received Shs2,000,000 as payment for Council support towards the burial arrangement of the late Speaker of Parliament, and Shs250,000 as payment for facilitation for council staff attending recruitment interview for the position of corporate affairs officer.

On April 20th, he received Shs1,350,000 as payment for lunch, transport, airtime and tele-saver allowance for established and support staff for fourth quarter of financial year 2021-2022, while on April 22nd he received Shs2,400,000 as payment for fuel for Council and staff members for the period of April to June 2022.

While on April 22nd, he received Shs3,000,000 as payment for General Secretary’s facilitation for networking and public relations for the period of April to June 2022. On April 27th, he received Shs520,000 as payment for facilitation for staff preparing a dossier and attending presentation of ministerial policy statement on 17th-19th April -2022 which we are not sure if it reached the beneficiaries.

On May 10th, he received Shs27,881,700 as per diem to represent government of Uganda on the international schools sports Gymnasaide schools summer games in France from 14th-22nd-May, 2022.

This is another area the IGG and Auditor General should interest themselves  to get more accountability of these monies. On May 26th he received Shs800,000 as payment for facilitation for Council members attending adhoc technical committee meeting, and Shs650,000 received as facilitation to attend IFMS upgrade training at Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development ITF centre at Crested Towers from 23rd-28th-May, 2022.

On May 30th he received Shs52,219,200 as payment for per diem for government officials travelling to the United States of America, Indianapolis for American Football strategic bench making exercise, for himself and the State Minister for sports at the time Hamson Obua.

He also received Shs11,260,800 as payment for per diem for government officials travelling to Kigali, Rwanda for Africa basketball playoffs and finals 2022, and Shs2,330,000 as payment for Council support towards burial arrangement of General Secretary’s late sister Apoo Margaret Rudia.

On June 15^th as the financial year was coming to an end, he received shs1,500,000 as sitting and transport facilitation for council and committee meetings for 4th quarter FY2021/2022 and Shs250,000 as transport facilitation for June 2022.

We will continue to unearth what’s going on at National Council of Sports, until government investigative institutions pick interest in it.