Sunday 11 November 2012

America’s peace Icon and slave state exposed : Museveni’s two new Benzes cost Shs6b



 President Museveni in one of his new Benzes at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds during the Golden Jubilee celebrations October 9. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA.   

 Ms Hellen Lanyom’s mouth which was cut off by the LRA rebeles, is now emitting pus and her ability to perform any tasks is reducing by the day. PHOTO by Moses Akena. 

 


FIRST READ:

For God and my country or For my stomach, my family, relatives and friends: The paradox of Museveni’s 2 billion Car amidst a dead health sector, increasing poverty , youth unemployment and struggling economy 

http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2012/10/for-god-and-my-country-or-for-my.html

Uganda legislators Clash with Museveni over Bigirimana: Mps insist he must go while Museveni insists he must stay



Stories of the Poor war victims in Nothern Uganda whose funds have been robbed by thieves in the OPM: 68-year-old LRA mutilation victim swims against the tide

Uganda’s Born again first lady is under scrutiny for traveling 8 times to Israel in one month : Janet Museveni faces questions over OPM cash saga




Museveni’s two new Benzes cost Shs6b

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-s-two-new-Benzes-cost--Shs6b/-/688334/1617486/-/mm031/-/index.html

In Summary
Opulence? Documents show President’s two limousines took one year to procure, as MP accuses presidency of extravagance akin to the French monarchs.

The Government was “extravagant” in spending Shs6 billion on two armoured limousines for the President, a chairperson of a parliamentary oversight committee has said.

Mr Barnabas Tinkasiimire, the chair of the committee on presidential affairs, told Daily Monitor last week that his committee would “pick interest in this matter” even as the President’s press secretary, Mr Tamale Mirundi, leapt to his boss’ defence, noting that criticism of the purchase was steeped in ignorance.

The MP drew comparisons with the opulence that characterised the reign of 17th Century French King, Louis XVI, before warning President Museveni of the likelihood of a ‘French revolution’ taking place in Uganda.

“He [Museveni] should address himself to what happened in France,” said the Buyaga County MP. “The luxury of that kingdom when its people were in poverty led to its collapse. It will affect this country. This is consumerism for an individual and I don’t think that’s a worthwhile investment. The president already has vehicles.”

As official sources pointed at a total cost outlay of Shs6b, well-placed insiders in the security services suggest that the full figure spent on the cars could actually have been in the region of Shs10b.

However, officials at the President’s Office declined to comment on reports suggesting that the government may have forked out up to Shs10b in the process of procuring the two high-end vehicles.

One of the two limousines was first publicly seen last month at the Independence Grounds in Kololo during celebrations to mark 50 years of Uganda’s self-rule.
The custom-built Germany-made Mercedes Benz S500 Pullman Guard, in which Mr Museveni dazzled at Kololo, took the authorities more than a year to procure in a delicate top-secret process.

The latest acquisitions, which join a range of plush 4x4 vehicles used by the President, are understood to have been directly sourced through classified expenditure from Carat Security Group, the world’s largest commercial armoured vehicle provider, through its subsidiary Carat Duchatelet.

Carat Duchatelet, known as a premier coach building and armouring operation with headquarters in Belguim and offices serving the African region in West Riffa, the Kingdom of Bahrain, is one of only three companies on the government’s classified list of firms which supply it armoured vehicles.

The same firm is reported to have previously supplied the government with presidential vehicles. Plans to purchase the two vehicles were hatched as far back as January 2011, a month shy to the February 28 presidential elections in which Mr Museveni was seeking re-election.

According to information available to this newspaper, authorities acting on a reported presidential directive proceeded to request a waiver from the country’s procurement entity, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), for direct procurement of the vehicles.

Daily Monitor has seen a copy of a March 1, 2011 letter from then acting State House Comptroller, Ms Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, to former PPDA executive director, Mr Edgar Agaba, making a case for the waiver.
“State House urgently requires to procure 2 units Saloon Armoured Principal vehicles for exclusive use by His Excellency the President. The estimated cost is approximately Shs6b,” wrote Ms Mbonye.

Security sources, however, suggested that the government may have later paid out as much as Shs10 billion for the two vehicles. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the deal, suggested that the spike in the cost by Shs4b was a result of the “battering” which the Ugandan shilling suffered against the American dollar last year when procurement of the vehicles was being processed. At one point, “the exchange rate was Shs2,800 for $1.”

Daily Monitor could not independently verify the claim by press time. Last week, Mr Mirundi said: “The President isn’t buying drugs for his cows or buying a car for his daughters. He isn’t buying a personal vehicle, it’s a presidential vehicle and it’s state property,” said Mr Mirundi. “These people oppose because they are ignorant.”

He said the decision to purchase new vehicles is taken as a security measure and when the President’s old fleet of cars have rundown. “These vehicles are expensive because of the services they offer. There is no way our President can move in a ramshackle car when we are fighting the al-Shabaab, ” Mr Mirundi said.

In her letter to PPDA, Ms Mbonye said a meeting by the State House Contracts Committee on January 16, 2011 had “expressed their no objection to the use of Direct Procurement method as long as a waiver is obtained from PPDA.”

 

Nine corruption scandals to look back at


Publish Date: Nov 11, 2012


UGANDA - The cost of corruption is huge. We look back at nine graft scandals that have tossed Uganda here and there in the recent past.

Chogm 2007

This came to public attention last year (2011). Several ministers, including former Vice-President, Gilbert Bukenya, Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and former state minister for works and transport, John Byabagambi, were implicated in the mismanagement of billions of public funds meant for the 2007 CHOGM summit.



Others implicated were ministers John Nasasira, Mwesigwa Rukutana and Isaac Musumba. Although Parliament allocated sh270b to the summit, the Auditor General discovered that more than sh370b was spent.



The figures went up to sh500b after parliamentary accounts committee grilled those who spent the funds.



The probe, commissioned by President Yoweri Museveni, found out that money was lost in irregular procurement of the CHOGM cars, road construction and repairs, and the renovation of
Entebbe Airport, among other ventures.


Several permanent secretaries interrogated claimed they had acted on orders from former Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya, who was the chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee on CHOGM.



Prof. Bukenya was accused of influence-peddling in the sh19b CHOGM car deal, but later court acquitted him.



Global Fund 2008



At the time of investigations, $10m (sh25b) was missing, although some sources put the figure at $37 (sh95.8b).



The money was meant for malaria and tuberculosis drugs programmes. The scandal sucked in former health minister Jim Muhwezi and his then deputies Mike Mukula and Alex Kamugisha.



Some of the known culprits include the director of economic affairs in the President’s Office, Teddy Cheeye and former production manager of Uganda Television, Fred Kavuma, who are currently on remand in Luzira Prison over the scam.



Although many of people have since been absolved of wrongdoing by court, Mike Mukula was told recently that he has a case to answer.



The scandal centered on a new unit within the Health Ministry, known as the Project Management Unit (PMU), through which the money was siphoned to about 400 private organisations, many of which existed only on paper.



Investigations revealed that PMU paid grossly infl ated salaries to its 15 professionals and 20 support staff, who often doubled their take home pay with generous and largely undocumented expense allowances.



Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has committed $5.1b in grants to more than 130 countries to fight the three diseases.


Temangalo 2008


NSSF-Temangalo saga came to light in July 2008, when reports emerged that Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, then security minister and Amos Nzeyi had been paid sh11b by the Fund for 414 acres of land, with each acre going for sh24m.



It was reported that the price was higher than that on the market, resulting into the Fund losing billions of shillings.



Knight Frank put the price of an acre in the area at sh18m, East African Consulting Surveyors at sh16m and Associated Consulting Surveyors at sh14m.



NSSF decided to go for what it called an open market price of sh24m. The Parliamentary probe found that Mbabazi used his clout as security minister to force NSSF to purchase his land.



In its majority report, the parliamentary committee investigating the matter concluded that indeed Mbabazi and Ezra Suruma had violated sections of the Leadership Code.



ID Scandal 2010


In February, 2010, the Government entered a deal with Mühlbauer, a German firm, to supply national IDs. Muhlbauer High Tech was allegedly contracted without open bidding as required by law.



The company was to supply and install equipment for production of the identity cards. The IDs were supposed to be used to identify eligible voters during the 2011 elections.



But by February last year, the company had reportedly produced only 400 cards. Parliament learnt that the Government borrowed over sh150b to finance the project, which has never kicked off.



According to the PAC, contracting the firm resulted in a fi nancial loss of sh19b.



The ministers implicated include former general duties minister, Kiddu Makubuya, former internal affairs minister, Kirunda Kivejinja and the local government Permanent Secretary, Steven Kagoda.



Bicycle 2011


Amman Industrial Tool and Equipment Ltd, a locally-registered company, was contracted by the Ministry of Local Government to supply 70,000 bicycles meant for LCs, but no single bicycle was delivered.


The company was reportedly paid $1.7 million (about sh4b).



Microfinance and Specioza Kazibwe ­ 2011


Sh60b went missing from Microfinance Support Centre in a record three months.



Former Vice-President Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, who was the board chairperson, was subsequently suspended over allegations of abuse of office and mismanagement in the office she assumed in 2008.


Others board members who were suspended are MP Tim Lwanga, Mutebi Kityo, Charles Ogol from the finance ministry and Twino Musinguzi.



President Yoweri Museveni started the institution in 2003, to ensure Ugandans accessed funds for poverty reduction in their households.



Hassan Basajjabalaba compensation scandal ­ 2011


Sh169b was ‘erroneously’ issued to city tycoon Hassan Basajjabalaba as compensation for the loss of business for the city markets last year.



Two ministers, Syda Bbumba of finance and attorney general Khiddu Makubuya, were axed alongside three members of staff at State House on the matter.



However, the Government exonerated the Bank of Uganda governor, Tumusiime Mutebile, of any wrongdoing in the compensation.



Pension’s scandal ­ 2012


Sh169b meant to clear outstanding pension claims of 1,018 former East African Community workers went missing between February and October last year.



The money is said to have been siphoned through Cairo International Bank, with connivance from top employees of the ministries of public service and finance.



Peter Sajjabi, the East African Community Beneficiaries Association general secretary, admitted to the Police that he had recommended the 1,018 names, which he said were passed on to him by the Ministry of Public Service, to Cairo International Bank for account opening.



Prime Minister’s Office ­ 2012


The principal accountant in the Prime Minister’s Office, Geoffrey Kazinda, was recently remanded to Luzira Prison in connection with the disappearance of sh5b.



The money, meant for the Peace Recovery and Development Plan for
Northern Uganda, was reportedly transferred to the Crisis Management and Recovery account, from where it was siphoned.


Kazinda has been charged before the
Anti-Corruption Court with abuse of office, causing fi nancial loss, embezzlement, false accounting and forgery.


Following the development, three donor countries cut aid. The British government,
Denmark and Ireland have frozen development aid to the Offi ce of the Prime Minister.