Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has spoken extensively about the iron sheets scandal, distancing her office from the iron sheets that were allegedly diverted from Karamoja by the area minister Mary Goretti Kitutu.

Nabbanja says the matter involving Minister Kitutu should be treated as an independent matter worth investigating.

The prime minister says bundling up issues will confuse the masses because there has been an initial distribution of iron sheets in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) before, which is a transparent and usual process.

She insists that while there is a group of officials that have received iron sheets before, those are not the same iron sheets that were meant for Karamoja and she refuted claims that she used iron sheets to roof her hotel in Kakumiro.

According to Nabbanja, the iron sheets have been coming from different donors and funders, and different officials have been asking for them so as to support their vulnerable communities.

Last week, a security operation arrested relatives of Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu after they were found in possession of relief items meant for the vulnerable in the Karamoja region.

The speaker of parliament Anita Among has meanwhile directed the presidential affairs committee to investigate the alleged mismanagement of relief items in the ministry for Karamoja Affairs.

The directive follows a petition by Members of Parliament (MPs) from Karamoja to the Speaker, asking for a forensic audit on both the procurement and distribution of relief items.