Entebbe Municipal Council is currently in the spotlight due to its alleged failure to recover a substantial amount of Sh1.2 billion from the Youth Livelihood Program (YLP) and the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program (UWEP).

The Auditor General’s report for the financial year 2021-2022 revealed that the municipality disbursed funds to various youth and women groups but failed to reclaim the money as a revolving fund, intended to benefit other deserving groups.

During a session with the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee on Local Government, chaired by Kilak South MP Gilbert Olanya, Entebbe Municipal Town Clerk Emmanuel Mugisha admitted that only 13 million had been recovered from UWEP. However, he lacked comprehensive details regarding the total disbursement for both empowerment programs, the number of beneficiary groups in Entebbe, and the specific amounts received by each group.

In response, Chairperson Olanya instructed the clerk to submit a comprehensive list by the following Tuesday, detailing all beneficiary groups, individual group disbursements, the total government allocation to the municipality, and the sum recovered.

Meanwhile, the same audit also uncovered a controversy involving State House, which reportedly took possession of half an acre owned by Entebbe Municipal Council without clear circumstances. This land is currently being used as a parking lot for VIP guests of State House, with neither rent nor maintenance fees being paid.

According to Municipal Clerk Emmanuel Mugisha, when the municipal authorities approached Lillian, the Executive House Keeper of State House, for assistance, they were informed that while State House would cover electricity bills, the municipality was responsible for cleaning and maintaining the area. This revelation prompted the committee to decide on summoning Lillian for further inquiry in the upcoming week.