By Patriot Corps
Hon. Patrick Isiagi Opolot, Chairperson of the Budget Committee of Parliament and MP for Kachumbala County, was released by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) without charges after clarifying budget allocation procedures. Unlike other MPs summoned and detained, Isiagi, who had recently returned from Indonesia, reported to CID Headquarters in Kibuli, Kampala, on June 27, 2024, to explain the significant increase in the budget for cooperatives’ compensations from under Shs 10bn to Shs 30bn in the 2022/2023 financial year.
A security source revealed that the detectives needed Isiagi to walk them through the budgeting process. His detailed explanation sufficed, leading to his release. In contrast, three MPs—Michael Mawanda (Igara East), Mudimi Wamakuyu (Elgon County), and Paul Akamba (Busiki County)—along with Leonard Kavundira, Principal Cooperative Officer in the Ministry of Trade, were remanded to Luzira prison by the Anti-Corruption Court on charges of conspiring to defraud the government of over Shs 7.3 billion related to Buyaka Growers Cooperatives Society Limited.
Isiagi’s cooperation highlighted the role of the Budget Committee in ensuring transparency in public fund allocation, underscoring the need for rigorous oversight to prevent financial mismanagement and corruption.