Dr Aminah Zawedde, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, has defended the procurement deal where more than Ugx900 was spent on purchasing two vehicles.

According to a statement from the Ministry, two vehicles, and not one were purchased “ensuring transparency and accountability” adding that “all requisite approvals, and processes were adhered to.”

The Sunday afternoon statement defended the procurement process as having followed proper guidelines to the dot.

“We acknowledge the reports regarding the procurement of vehicles at the ministry of ICT and National Guidance which alleged the purchase of a single government vehicle for Ugx965 million,” said the ministry in the statement.

“It is crucial to clarify that as opposed (to) the allegation of a single costing that much, two vehicles were procured, not one.”

The ministry said the procurement process went through open bidding and strictly adhered to the guidelines set by the PPDA, and was equally cleared by the office of the Solicitor General.

*What You Need to Know*

There have been reports that the Auditor General is investigating circumstances under which Dr Zawedde authorised payment of almost Shs 1bn to procure a vehicle from a car bond in Kampala.

Reports indicated that on August 31, 2022, Zawedde paid Cadam Enterprises Shs 965m for the supply of a Toyota Land Cruiser LC 300 VX to the Ministry of ICT, citing a reference number for the car purchase as PP1028377.

However the Ministry has stated that they purchased two vehicles, as opposed to one, and were already registered as UG 0057N and UG 0058N and were available for anyone interested in inspecting them.