Uganda’s Minister for Planning and Ntenjeru North MP Amos Lugoloobi bowed to public pressure and removed iron sheets used on his animal shed.

According to The Monitor, the minister reportedly took 600 iron sheets meant to be relief material for vulnerable populations and used them to roof a shed for his goats. He denied any wrongdoing and accused his critics of bias.

“How much are the 600 iron sheets I received? This is too little money because I have been donating iron sheets, which I have been buying using my personal money to schools, churches, mosques and other community projects,” the minister said as quoted by The Monitor.

Lugoloobi confirmed to have removed the iron sheets from his property, terming it as evil. 

“I am now consulting on where I can put the iron sheets because they are evil,” he said. 

However, the minister argued that the goat-breeding project was meant to empower his constituents.

“Under the project, when one gets a goat and it produces, he gives the kid to another person,” he explained. 

Lugoloobi accused his critics of bias, saying that he is being targeted yet other government officials also received the roofing materials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). 

The Monitor reports that although the minister removed the iron sheets from his structure, a section of leaders in Kayunga District have asked him to resign from his ministerial post.

Mr Michael Malinga, the Kitimbwa Sub-county chairperson, said the minister’s action is “unfortunate” and he “should not even wait to be censured by Parliament... What he did was very bad”.

The minister has since recorded a statement with State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) and he, together with other Cabinet members will assist in investigations.