The damning audit says the UN refugee agency wasted millions of dollars in the East African country which currently hosts over 1 million refugees.

UN's internal audit, which was released to the public last week, found that a $7.9m contract for road repairs was awarded to a contractor with no experience.

Another $7.7 million was spent questionably in paying trucking and bus companies.

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The report further pins UNHCR for playing a role in the mismanagement of funds when it paid at least $10 million more VAT than needed.

A stockpile of goods which had been distributed a year ago was found lying idle -- including 288,000 blankets and 50,000 wheelbarrows.

The investigation disclosed that solar lamps worth $279,860 were missing and there was no probe done.

Expenditure doubled

UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services discloses in the audit that UNHCR’s expenditure in Uganda jumped from $125 million in 2016 to $205 million in 2017.

80% of the 2017 funding was contributed by Britain, the EU, Germany, and the United States.

Early this year, the Ugandan government and UNHCR agreed to recount refugees after donors threatened to freeze funds after allegations of diverting aid.

The five months $11 million re-registration process discovered that Uganda has 300,000 fewer refugees than previously reported.

Inappropriate arrangements between Uganda UNHCR and OPM

The internal probe discovered a range of inappropriate arrangements between Uganda UNHCR office and Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

It pins UNHCR for agreeing to contract three underqualified local NGOs recommended by the OPM.

Investigations found that one of contracted NGOs had defrauded UNHCR before.

The audit further says UNHCR paid Ugandan officials who signed off on UNHCR-related paperwork $2,000 a month -- and it additionally bought them cars and fuel.

"UNHCR also paid $283,000 to subsidise the costs of 72 civil servants whose work contracts could not be shown to the auditors," audit reveals.

The refugee agency also paid OPM $320,000 to buy a plot of land to expand refugee handling capacity -- the amount was more than double government's valuation.

OPM failed to produce a title deed to prove ownership for the plot of land which is now being used as a parking lot.