Put Donors in the Dock for Global Fund Money.

(From New Vision (Uganda) - AAGM)

Uganda received accolades for leading Africa's most effective anti-AIDS campaign for 20 years with almost no donor money.

Yet in 2005, after receiving some US $45m, out of a $201m grant, the Global Fund abruptly turned off the taps.

The subsequent Commission of Inquiry revealed, to the disgust of ordinary Ugandans, how monies meant for lifesaving AIDS drugs were spent on personal phone bills, lavish "Christmas groceries," and medical bills for former ministers.

But six months after the enquiry ended, donors are still baying for blood, a flurry of law-suits challenging the Commission's findings has been filed and the DPP and Police are paralyzed in a confused state of inaction.

This is one of those times when you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

What went wrong? How did the Commission turn what many thought would be an open and shut case into a circus in which the real culprits are likely to evade justice? How was the inquiry bungled?

Any postmortem will recognize that the Commission got carried away with documenting what had happened …