COVID-19 Relief Theft: Inside M7 Phonecall To Kabaka

By Henry Mulindwa
The last time president Museveni addressed the nation a week ago, something bizzaare happened in State House-Nakasero. The president since the outbreak of COVID-19 has pitched camp at Nakasero where he does his work. The reason is that Entebbe state house is seated next to COVID-19 quarantine centers and also near Entebbe grade One health facility where treatment of some of the patients is taking place.As a result, on the last day he addressed the nation on COVID-19, the smart men and women in the Office of the prime minister presented to him a list of relief items that had been donated to government to help the poor.Some donors contributed physical items while others brought both cash and itemsAmong those who contributed were Buganda monarch Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II who contributed shs100m and other items. Another person to contribute heavily at the time was city businessman Hamis Kiggundu. However, the smart men and women in OPM, presented to him a list of contributors excluding that of Kabaka and Hamis Kiggundu. The OPM giants had the guts of including the contribution by an LC1 of Kireka worth shs1m and the 175 empty jerricans donated by Coca Cola but ‘tactifully’ omitted the major donations by Kabaka and Hamis. The president was later told through a note that actually Kabaka and Hamis had also given a substantial contribution. Museveni commended them but damage had already been done to him in the eyes of those who contributed but were omitted.
Behind the scenes
When the presser ended, sources said that Museveni developed psychological ulcers wondering what the motive of omitting Kabaka’s donation and Hamis’ was by his officials who generated the list.He also thought of the likely implication of such an anomaly by his officials which seemed to undermine his relationship with the Kabaka and also demoralize other would-be generous contributors.He thus picked his phone fully loaded with airtime and made a call to Kabaka to thank him and also explain the mishaps. Sources suggest that actually, Kabaka’s contribution was even more than what was announced because according to sources the whole arrangement was not less than shs300m. It is therefore not clear what could have happened as the donation was being delivered.”We suspect, the reason the Kabaka donation was left out was because the donation didn’t add up. They didn’t want the Kabaka to know what exactly reached” sources said, adding that out of this concern, it even forced the Kabaka to appear on the kingdom Radio CBS and television BBS terefayina to show solidarity with the suffering people and also reassure them that his government in Mmengo was equally concerned and had made generous contribution.We have been informed that Museveni told Kabaka that he would make a follow up on this list to establish underlying facts about it and those who generated it.The same Museveni after talking to Kabaka dialed Hamis Kiggundu’s digits and spoke to him. He first commended him for the contribution.Museveni went ahead and asked him about how much he had bought his maize flour which he donated. Hamis allegedly told him that he bought a kilo of flour at shs1700. Museveni was extremely shocked. He wanted to confirm this with the real people who supplied Hamis. He therefore asked him for the contacts of all these people who supplied him. Hamis gladly read out the phone numbers as requested. Museveni called one by one to confirm the prices for each kilo of flour. The suppliers also told him that a kilo was for shs1700. In fact according to Hamis’explanation, the men were even willing to supply at shs1600 per kilo in case government was buying in tones. Their explanation shocked the president who earlier on in an interaction with OPM officials they had told him that the kilo was for shs5000.Apparently, Museveni called the OPM people earlier on and told them that since this was an emergency, they needed not to follow the PPDA rules instead, they needed to call for suppliers for them to bring quotations. He cautioned them that they needed to get those who quoted the least amount and award the contract to them. His earlier thinking according to sources was that a kilo went for shs7000 since he doesn’t know the market forces.”Because he doesn’t buy food, he didn’t know the actual market prices. He therefore thought a kilo went or shs7000. Therefore, when the OPM people presented a shs5000 supply quotation contract, he believed them only for his eyes to be opened by the consultations he made with Hamis” the sources explained.Immediately, Museveni called Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema and asked her to arrest the OPM thugs the following morning. This is how the officials were arrested by Nakalema and her team on accusations of awarding the contract to supply to Aponye whose quotation was inflated. He allegedly guided that since the Aponye contract had been signed, it needed to be revised so that he supplies flour for shs2bn and the rest is given to the new list of suppliers whose quotation was reasonable. The president according to sources guided that they should not supply beyond shs2000.The sources further warned that more thugs in government who attempt to steal at this time are going to be netted. The reason is that Museveni is these days less busy. He therefore has time to make follow ups on every issue that is brought to him.”COVID-19 has made the president less active. He is also seated like most of the population. Anyone who attempts to commit a crime will therefore face his wrath. He doesn’t travel and he doesn’t hold meetings as he used to before COVID-19 came” the sources revealed.
OPM Thefts At A Glance
The OPM officials have a history of stealing relief items for the underprivileged. For example in 2007, the country was shocked after the same Ministry stole relief items for reconstruction of northern Uganda IDP returnees. OPM broke a record by supplying barren seeds and Plastic pangs and hoes. Then disaster minister Tarsis Kabwegyere was nearly thumped by area MPs at parliament. The MPs led by Agnes Akiror and Rose Akol cursed Kabwegyere and he eventually lost his MP seat and cabinet position.