Items worth Shs2.4bn were lost in fire at Agriculture ministry stores – Report
The Auditor General report for the financial year 2021/2022 has revealed that the fire that gutted a section of the Ministry of Agriculture stores along Buganda road, Wandegeya destroyed property worth Shs2.4 billion in April last year.
In his report for financial year 2021/2022 submitted to Parliament, Auditor General John Muwanga says the items that were lost in the said fire included books that were housed within the stores of the ministry.
“Out of the 62 items kept in the stores and burnt; book values could only be ascertained for 34 items with a total estimate of Shs2.366 billion. The value for the rest of the items could not be established due to incomplete and insufficient information,” Mr Muwanga’s report reads in part.
In the aftermath of the fire outbreak, police reported that two suspects were arrested in connection to the fire. The report being looked into by the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) – Central reveals that police found that the fire had been triggered by the careless rubbish burning done by the cleaners at the ministry at the time.
Whereas the ministry’s permanent secretary Mr. David Kasura agrees with the findings of the report, he told the legislators on the PAC that his office has since undertaken efforts to lessen possibilities and or avoid a repeat of the same.
