President Museveni’s NRM occupation government is starting to feel the cost of keeping the kingdom of Buganda in a virtual state of emergency. Since early September 2009, Museveni has spent billions of Uganda Shillings in resources to destabilize Kabaka Mutebi, monitor and block Baganda radio and phone communications, block unfriendly Internet addresses, fund pro-Region Tier forces in Mmengo and redeploy at least 65% of all Uganda’s police and army in Buganda.  The panic expenditure, together with the accompanying graft by those managing the funds has left the occupation NRM government in a financial fix. To cope, Museveni is reportedly, raiding certain government institutions, where aid donors cannot easily trace misuse of funds.

Our source in Uganda’s ministry of Finance has told us that the list of organizations that the NRM government is raiding include Bank of Uganda (BOU), National Social Secrity Fund (NSSF), NAADS and the President’s patriotism development fund. The source said: “BOU is easy because, the governor, Emmanuel Mutebire and the secretary to treasury, Chris Kassami are both veteran embezzlers. And they now have younger leutenants in Naome Nassasira and Keith Muhakanizi to oversee the thefts. The NSSF could have been more complicated because it has been in the papers too much. That is why they appointed a brand new board, with a solid number of thieves, to ensure full cooperation when government raids the organization. Even UPE will not be spared. There are plans to reallocate huge sums of money from students and combine those moneys with billions from Museveni’s patriotism development fund  to massively recruit ‘patriotic’ teachers as a backbone of a new spy network within Buganda. The reason they are looking at NAADS is because they have successfully used it in the past to bribe LCs and settle Balaalo and other foreigners in Buganda, without donor interference.”

On a related note, our ministry of Finance source points out that at least 30-40% of the money being spent to maintain the Buganda occupation is stolen by the implementers and NRM politicians. According the the source: “Because of the secrecy, there is no accountability and everyone involved in the illegal financial raids make sure to keep some. Even Museveni and his family are actively chasing the patriotism fund. It is like everyone is trying to get what they can before the next Baganda riots break out. “

Under international law, an agreement is legal only if the associated transaction is legal. On Tuesday October 28, 2008, President Mwai Kibaki dragged Kenya into Museveni’s long illegal campaign to give away Buganda land without authorization from Parliament, City Council or Baganda. Kibaki and Museveni signed a protocol that would give the Kitante Courts land on Yusuf Lule Avenue to the Republic of Kenya. However a prominent Ugandan historian told us that the public land in Mulago area, including the piece that Museveni gave away to Kenya, is owned by Buganda and only under lease to Kampala City Council, according to agreements made in the 1950s and before. The Kitante Courts land is currently occupied by President Museveni’s notorious and dreaded Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) organization.

If Kenya takes up Museveni’s offer, then she will be joining what many Baganda believe to be Mr. Museveni’s conspiracy to import and offer stolen Buganda land to so many foreigners that Baganda are overwhelmed and rendered too weak to fight back. Only last year, Museveni tried to take the Kitante Courts land for himself and his family by gifting it to one of his closest business associates, Sudhir Ruparelia but he dropped the transaction after it became too controversial. Mr. Museveni not only insists that Kampala is not part of Buganda but he is also pushing plans to expand it by at least 5 times in area.

A Muganda international law expert that we contacted explained that the legality of this transaction is tricky but it also smells corruption. “The smart thing for Buganda and others who may have an interest in this land to do would be to publicly register their opposition to the transaction. In particular they should petition the Kenyan government to desist from concluding this transaction ‘because the involved is stolen native lands’. And copies should be given to the UN Secretary General, members of the UN Security Council, Tanzania, etc. The question is, do Walusimbi and Makubuya have the spine to risk annoying Museveni?”

Kenya and Uganda are among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International. Both Mwai Kibaki and Yoweri Museveni remain presidents in their respective countries thanks to massive election fraud that was proven in courts of law. And the presidents of the two countries, especially Uganda, are known to be surrounded by legendary corrupt officials. In Uganda, Mr. Museveni’s closest confidant, Patrick Amama Mbabazi is in the middle of a special investigation by Parliament where overwhelming evidence has emerged that he illegally sold his land to Uganda’s National Social Security fund so he could strengthen his own personal bank. Yes, his personal bank where his partners include the Governor of Uganda’s central bank Tumusiime Mutebire and the minister of finance Ezra Suruma.

There are not enough details on Museveni’s Kenya land giveaway yet to indicate if Mr. Museveni and Mr. Kibaki will personally benefit from the multimillion dollar transaction. It is also not clear if Kenya’s Prime Minister, Oginga Odinga, known to be friendly to Buganda, supports the controversial deal despite its potential to alienate Baganda round the world.

Kenya’s Government can be reached via the following government officials: gowuor@mfa.go.ke  or mnyambura@mfa.go.ke or jbahemuka@mfa.go.ke. or kenrep@mweb.co.za.

A Discource by the Minister of Ethics and Integrity

Immorality is threatening to engulf us as a nation. This is moral depravity at its worrying levels. The situation is both sad and alarming. There are many vices which are eating away on the body of the Ugandan society on a scale unknown before. They include theft or embezzlement of public funds, wretched road construction, substandard service deli very, greed, infidelity, prostitution, homosexuality, witchcraft, defilement and abortion, sectarianism, walking naked on the streets, too much child abuse and violence in homes, rumor mongering and lust for power. These and other vices are posing a formidable challenge which requires a collective assault from all Ugandans.

On the extent of theft or embezzlement, it should be remembered that we are dealing with the most formidable vice the world has ever seen. Mankind is born corrupt, sucks corruption, eats, drinks, studies, dreams, thinks, imagines and concludes corruption. For nine months, he is carried in the womb in corruption and he is born in corruption. To tame this requires more than political or legal measures. It requires God’s intervention and man’s obedience to God. It also requires a complete paradigm shift in the moral architecture of Ugandans.

Recently, one journalist wrote in the papers that what was needed in order to defeat corruption in Uganda is a new government. He implied that the NRM Government had failed to defeat corruption. So I asked him: do you want to change NRM party with Democratic Party, Uganda People’s Congress, Forum for Democratic Change in the belief that they will do better than the present government? I suggested to him that the answer does not lie in changing the NRM government since after all, no other political force has better credentials to fight corruption. Ugandans need a heart transplant. This should be coupled with more robust as well as having in place a punitive regime of efficient investigators, prosecutors and punishment by institutions of government, principally the DPP, CID, AG and IGG.

I will now turn to issues that are very much in the news as a major concern to the public and to Government. These are, among others, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), prostitution, defilement and homosexuali ty.

NSSF Management and the Temangalo land are in the news and so are two senior Ministers. Allegations of impropriety, inside trading, abuse of office, influence peddling and flouting of regulations have been suggested in this matter. Government appreciates the gravity of the matter and is keenly aware of the concerns of the Public.

For that reason, it will take appropriate action once the on-going investigations by the parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises and other agencies have been completed. Government wishes that the probii-,; teams should do their work both quickly and expeditiously in the best interests of all the parties concerned.

In the meantime, it cautions against making sensational direct or behind-the-scenes maneuvers by some individuals since what is important are the facts and the integrity of the Government, the NRM, and individuals involved as well as the NSSF. Trading of accusations and counter-accusations or taking sides and addressing press conferences are attempts to usurp the work of the parliamentary probe committee and this must be stopped! The public need to be assured that no persons or institutions are above the law and that the NRM Government cares about good governance and protection of people’s interests.
Prostitution is gaining ground on Kampala streets and in night clubs especially in and around the City. That aside, it is not only destroying homes, it is blighting the future of young people and becoming a major facilitator of serious infections such as HIV/AIDS.

To reduce prostitution, a low-cost strategy is being proposed. Communities together with police will be used to shame prostitutes and their clients. A policy proposal will soon be presented to Government for debate and approval. Individuals who are involved in prostitution will be targeted and their names published in print, television, internet and other possible arena.

The media has covered well these two subjects. At one time, they reported that 40,000 girls in primary schools had been defiled by their teachers in one year. They also reported that homosexual practices were rampart in schools and that teachers were involved. This had led to some parents choosing to transfer their children to other schools.

The scale and prevalence of both defilement and homosexuality threaten the stability and prosperity of Uganda. This is not to mention the pain, humiliation and other psychological ramifications the victims have to suffer. Government, through the ministries of Education and Sports, Gender, Labor and Social Development, Justice and Constitutional Affairs and my office will soon meet to discuss this tragedy in the making.

As usual, the media has a major role to play in rolling back frontiers of immorality that are seeking to engulf our country. They have done well so far but more is expected of them. Otherwise, a consistent barrage of Ugandan society with glamorous stories on homosexuality, witchcraft, infidelity and prostitution can only lead to the death of our society.

Dr Nsaba Buturo (MP)
9/17/08

Editors Note: Any mispellings or other errors were included in the original press release.

On September 16, 2008, Uganda’s parliamentary committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises heard that the Uganda National Social Security Fund (NSSF) received title to about 50% of the land that it bought from Kampala businessman, Amos Nzeyi and security minister Amama Mbabazi. One John Busungu of Geomap Surveyors, who were contracted by NSSF to survey the land, testified to the committee that the land titles for Plot 12 and Plot 20, representing 249.94 acres out of a total 463.87 or just over 50%, were still in the names of Amos Nzeyi. Mbabazi and Nzeyi sold the land, located at Temangalo, Busiro County, at a whopping US $15,000 per acre.

The NSSF contracted Geomap Surveyors to survey the land prior to completing the deal. Musungu informed the committee that after surveying the land, he had warned the NSSF that the land was mostly a swamp. However, according to him, NSSF officials told him that the swamp and marsh was OK since they could serve as a green belt in their housing projects.

The controversial land sale by Nzeyi and Mbabazi to NSSF is under investigation by parliament because of allegations that it was rife with corruption and influence peddling, especially by influential Banyarwanda and Bakiga government officials. Mbabazi is a Mukiga from Rukungiri in Kigezi. According to the evidence presented so far, bidding for the land was not open, thus violating the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA) law. Ezra Suruma, another Mukiga, Minister of Finance and co-owner of a commercial bank with Mbabazi, is reported to have authorized suspension of the PPDA law.  A government valuer also reported claims that the land was grossly overvalued, especially since much of it is swamp and marshes.

In another twist, President Museveni jumped into the fray earlier this week. Museveni intervened to support Amos Nzeyi, referring to him as a private businessman who cannot be blamed for simply selling his property. One Kampala political analyst sees Museveni’s support for Nzeyi expected in these times of unlimited government arrogance. He told this reporter, “Museveni and Nzeyi go way back over 10 years when they worked together to cheat Ugandan share holder in the Pepsi Cola bottling company and take it over without investing anything. On that, add the fact that he is a Munyarwanda.”

Local Uganda newspapers have reported that the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) bought 402 acres of land from Security Minister Amama Mbabazi and Rwandese origin businessman Amos Nzeyi for US $6.9 million. According to two real estate independent firms, Knight Frank International and Associated Consulting Surveyors, the amount paid by NSSF represented an overvaluation of about 100%. According to sources in Uganda banking circles the primary purpose for the deal was not the profit, but to liquidate investment in Buganda land.

At the beginning of August, Amama Mbabazi told The Independent magazine that he and Nzeyi sold land to NSSF to generate funds for buying out partners in the National Bank of Commerce, formally named Kigezi National Bank. Banking sources have told Buganda Post that the NSSF land sale was motivated by two major objectives. First, they wanted to take their money out of Buganda land because they are convinced that it is becoming too risky as the stand-off between the Kabaka and Museveni continues. Making a tidy profit through the NSSF deal was only a bonus. Secondly, they wanted to eliminate Kenyan and other untrusted shareholders so they can maintain maximum secrecy over who keeps money in their bank.

The National Bank of Commerce was originally called the Kigezi National Bank. It was started in the mid-1990s, when large scale money laundering and big stake corruption was taking root in Uganda. The initial investors in Kigezi National Bank included Ruhukana Rugunda, Tumusiime Mutebire (Bank of Uganda Governor), Amos Nzeyi, Sam Kuteesa, and others. Members of the banking community allege that for over five years, Kigezi National Bank has served as a vehicle for the owners and their friends to launder Congo and other ill gotten funds until around the year 2000 when they took on Kenyan partners and renamed it National Bank of Commerce. Total secrecy about the customers and transactions at National Bank of Commerce will give Mbabazi and his partners maximum flexibility to clean and legally move their massive wealth, including outside Uganda, without detection.

Mbabazi and Nzeyi are not the only wealthy Banyankore and Rwandese who are holding back on or exiting land investments in Buganda. Based on transactions at the Uganda Land Office, overall purchases of Buganda land by Banyankore, Bakiga and Banyarwanda have drastically fallen off since 2006.