- Top Gov’t Officials, Lawyers On Spot Over Madhvani Group Limited, Kakira Sugar Works 305 Acres Of Nakigalala Land Deal
- Ayota Speaks Out on Gen Saleh’s Shs40bn Request, Board members Infighting, Threatening Resignation
The embattled outgoing National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Managing Director Richard Byarugaba and other top bosses have been cited in another Shs400bn scandal.
It should be remembered that the NSSF board referred Byarugaba to the Inspector General of Government(IGG) Beti Namisango Kamya on orders of president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to be investigated over his conduct in as far as the management of NSSF projects’ illegalities at the Fund is concerned and the way contracts and procurements are being made during his tenure.
As the investigations continue, Top Secrets has established that among other allegations which the IGG is investigating is his hand in the Shs400bn scandal.
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Sources in the IGG’s office have revealed that before the expiration of Byarugaba’s contract, which the Gender and Labour minister Betty Amongi declined to renewal, he was influencing NSSF to purchase 305 acres of land in Nakigalala registered at Volume Number 2 Folio 23 at Shs400bn.
Sources said that the scam involves a number of top government officials from the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and some top city law firms.
Sources said that NSSF wanted to purchase the land from Kakira Sugar works limited and Madhvani Group of Companies and who wanted their land to be bought at Shs185bn but some NSSF bosses plotted to make some “Njawulo” of Shs215bn.
Sources disclosed that NSSF wanted to establish a modern Eco-Satellite City and residential homes because the land is situated at Entebbe Expressway Interchange at Kajjansi.
Sources added that because they wanted the process to move very first, they involved a top government chief valuer who valued the land at Shs.246bn and his documentation was tendered in the NSSF and copied to the Ministry of Lands.
Top Secrets has seen a letter dated 12th August 2022 from Dorcus Okalany the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Lands inviting Madhvani Group of Company, Kakira Sugar Works Limited bosses and officials from Commissioner Land Registration and the Administrators of the Estate of Muwanga Omuwesi, a former Buganda Chief who claim for the same contested land.
Sources said that in the meeting, Ministry of Lands pleaded with parties to resolve their grievances on the land so that NSSF takes over the land and starts developing it.
The meeting was called after the Administrators of Muwanga Omuwesi filed a case at the High Court Land Division Kampala claiming that Kakira Sugar Works Limited, Madhvani Group of Company fraudulently obtain their piece of land after conniving with officials in the Ministry of Lands.
Sources said that because NSSF and other government officials wanted the deal to be sealed off before Byarugaba’s contract expired, they started subdividing the contested land but the process was stopped by a Court Order issued by Simon Kintu Zirintusa, the Registrar at the High Court Land Division, on 13th October, 2022 filed by Benjamin Ssebulimba Kalumba and Robert Kayongo the Adiministrators of Muwanga Omuweesi Estate.
“A temporary Injunction doth issue restraining the Respondents (Kakira Sugar Works Limited, Commissioner Land Registration and Madhvani Group Limited), their employees, subordinates, agents, successors in the title, assigneers or any alienating, mortgaging, transferring or receiving compensation in respect of the property comprised in Freehold Register Volume No 2 Folio 23(formerly Mailo Register Vol 2 Folio 18) land at Nakigalala pending the final determination of Civil Suit No 33 of 2013 pending before this Honourable Court,” Court Order reads in parts.
However, on Wednesday last week, Madhvani Group Limited, Kakira Sugar Works Company through their lawyers lead by John Jet Tumwebaze of Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA) and Paul Kutesa informed the presiding judge Oliver Kazarwe that they have filed an application seeking leave to appeal against the Registrar’s order stopping them from using the contested land.
The plaintiff’s lawyers led by professor Fredrick Ssempebwa from Katende Ssempebwa and Company Advocates and Mwesigwa Rukutana, the former deputy Attorney General currently practicing under his law firm Mwesigwa Rukutana and Company Advocates applied for an adjournment.
Ssempebwa told court that he was not ready to proceed with the matter on that day because he received the instructions on Tuesday, a day before the hearing which the judge allowed.
In the application seeking leave to appeal, the respondents’ lawyers insist that the applicant’s top bosses have to be grilled in the dock to prove to court that they wanted to lift the Temporary Injunction so that they fraudulently sell off the contested land.
Efforts to have a comment from Byarugaba were futile since he was not picking our phone calls.
However, while appearing before UBC’s Behind the Headline talk show, Patrick Ayota, the acting Managing Director of NSSF said that when the IGG froze their accounts to pave way for the ongoing investigations, all such transactions were stopped and no land can be purchased at this time.
SPEAKSOUT ON GEN SALEH’S SHS40BN REQUEST
Ayota further rubbished allegations that Gen. Salim Saleh, the head of Operation Wealth Creation and young brother to president Museveni, through minister Among had requested Shs40bn from NSSF to help finance the operations of the Grain Council of Uganda.
Sources in NSSF insist that the request was given to Byarugaba and the money was needed to help the Grain Council of Uganda to expand their market to other East African Community markets especially in Kenya and the maize was already on the market.
Sources said that the NSSF board approved Gen Saleh’s request but Byarugaba delayed releasing the money which annoyed the government officials and according to Byarugaba’s inner circle, the delay to process this request is part of the cause of his current problems. Byarugaba’s people told Top Secrets that their man did not object to Gen. Saleh’s request but he was waiting for an approval letter from the board to release the funds.
INFIGHTING AMONG NSSF BOARD MEMBERS
Top Secrets has also established that there is ongoing infighting among NSSF board members with those in support of Byarugaba insisting that his contract has to be renewed, while those who support Minister Among insist that Byarugaba has outlived his usefulness and a new face is needed at the helm of the pension fund.
Sources divulged that minister Among has severally met NSSF board members who are supporting her in different parts of the country including abroad, a situation which has made some members think about resigning from the board. Dr. Sam Lyomoki, the workers legislator and also NSSF board members admitted that he met Amongi abroad but both were on different official duties.
He insisted that there are no ongoing fights among NSSF board members. Phiona Nabasa Wall, the former Law Society boss said that NSSF is facing a managerial problem which has to be resolved very first to save the savers money otherwise the ghost of jailing NSSF bosses is still around.
However, Ayota insists that the savers money is very safe and no one is going to play with it.
