Germany withholds aid money from Uganda

The German government has decided to withhold 400 billion Uganda shillings (€100 million, $106 million) of funds it had pledged to the East African country for refugee resettlement annually.

Germany follows the United Kingdom in suspending funding after a UN investigation of Uganda's refugee program in 2018 found evidence of corruption costing millions of dollars and misconduct.

The scandal came to light when a whistleblower within the Ugandan government notified donors that large sums of money had been withdrawn from the account where it was deposited.

A joint investigation conducted by the United Nations, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and Uganda's government then discovered that the number of refugees in Uganda was inflated and resources intended to provide for refugees had been stolen.

Up to now, the Ugandan government has not brought the suspects to book, which has led donors to question the country's commitment to investigating the matter, hence the decision by Germany and the UK to withhold funds.

The German ambassador to Uganda, Albrecht Conze, says that Germany was shocked by the results of the investigation.

"I must admit that what happened in February last year, now 15 months ago, came as a shock to Germany. Especially since a lot of the money also comes from private sources, from people who donate. When you donate and then hear that your donation has not been spent well or embezzled, you become very cross," Conze told DW.

From DW.