President Yoweri Museveni told the press yesterday that whoever is proven to have embezzled money meant for refugees would be jailed.

The country has been praised for its progressive policy on refugees, but is now embroiled in a scandal over the alleged inflation of refugee numbers by government and aid officials as well as the misappropriation of aid funds.

There have also been allegations in local media of women and children refugees being trafficked.

The corruption is said to have been going on for about a year before it came to light.

In one instance, a Department of Refugees official implicated in corruption was transferred to another post, instead of facing justice.

The Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Hilary Onek, told the media the government has given security agencies one month to gather evidence.

The government has now introduced biometric re-verification for all refugees in the country. It has launched investigations into allegations of the misuse of food and funds, bribery and the trafficking of refugee girls.

Mr Onek added the government felt betrayed and let down by officials who embezzled money meant for refugees.

Uganda is now host to over 1.4 million refugees, the largest number of them being from South Sudan.

Though the minister says that the country remains committed to upholding its progressive refugee policy, he admits that the influx over the last two years created loopholes, and stretched the department’s capacity to effectively implement a humanitarian response.