Saudi Envoy warns against misuse of orphan funds

Abdul Wahid Kakande and Hajji Ntale Yunus

The Saudi Arabian envoy to Uganda, Mohammed Bin Khalil Faloudah, has issued a stern warning to guardians, stating that misuse of funds from a major orphan bursary scheme could lead to the suspension of the entire program, which supports over 1,331 children nationwide.

The warning came during a ceremony at Hotel Africana on Thursday, where Faloudah presented a cheque worth sh1.9 billion to cover the next academic year for beneficiaries of the Muslim World League (MWL) initiative.

“I implore all the caretakers of the beneficiaries of this scheme against misuse of these funds because if any of you does it, the entire program may be suspended,” Faloudah said.

He commended Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the custodian of the two holy mosques and the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for the program which benefits hundreds of thousands of orphans across the globe.

“We are glad to initiate assistance to our orphans in Uganda. We thank King Salman and the Crown Prince for this support,” Faloudah said.

The envoy implored the beneficiaries to take advantage of the support to shine in the academic spheres.

Directly addressing the envoy’s concern, MWL Country Director Muhamed Gabriel Amumalan detailed a critical policy shift.

“To safeguard against misuse of the funds, we have resolved to wire the money directly to beneficiaries’ school bank accounts,” he explained. “This has helped us to overcome fraudsters that have been taking advantage of this scheme.”
Amumalan explained that the program aims to provide these children with access to quality education.

“This program is open to all orphans regardless of their religions and all they need to do is to write to us and we process their application,” Amumalan said.

He commended the government for the strong bilateral relationship it enjoys with Saudi Arabia that has made it possible to implement the program.

Dr Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, the Presidential special envoy to Qatar commended the Saudi government for its continuous humanitarian support in the country.

“We thank the Saudi government for its continuous humanitarian programs in the country. We don’t take this for granted,” Ssemuddu said.

Dr Mohamed Ahamed Kisuule, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Middle East Affairs also thanked Saudi Arabia for supporting the needy in the country. Kisuule, however, said it is time to think beyond donations.

Fatima Ibrahim, one of the beneficiaries from the program thanked the Saudi government for the support saying it has enabled her to keep in school.

“I want to thank the Saudi government for the support because they have been paying my school fees and scholastic materials since primary and I am now senior two. Without this support, I wouldn’t have managed,” Fatima said.