The storm has not yet settled at Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu’s National Unity Platform (NUP).
This is after top party Diaspora leaders criticized Aisha Nalule Nabanda’s report that was intended to re-organise the party’s Diaspora chapter.
In a six page dossier that theGrapevine is privileged to have a copy of, Joseph Senyonjo, the New York/New Jersey Chapter Coordinator called upon NUP Diaspora community not to accept Kabanda’s report.
The entire controversy started on Independence Day last year when Bobi Wine exercised his power as the party president and appointed a committee to investigate the ongoing fights among party supporters in the Diaspora.
The diaspora is NUP’s biggest source of income.
Members on the committee included: Aisha Kabanda Nalule (Butambala district woman Member of Parliament and also the deputy NUP Secretary General), Makindye East legislator Derrick Nyeko, Professor Milton Alimadi, Dr. Tony Makayu, Sheikh Ali Ssemambo, Lilian Tracy Tabingwa (who was the committee secretary) and pastor Godfrey Owori.
Bobi Wine tasked the committee to investigate and later guide him on the best model of selecting Diaspora leaders.
Some wanted wanted him to appoint the Diaspora leaders while others proposed that members elect their own leaders.
The other issue at hand was accountability of funds from the diaspora.
Some members accused the Kamwokya based Secretariat headed by Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya of mismanaging the funds contributed by the Diaspora members.
In their complaint to Bobi Wine, NUP supporters in the diaspora told the NUP president that the reason why Arao Ameny resigned as head of NUP in the Diaspora in 2020 was because she failed to get accountability for funds she sent to NUP secretariat during his tenure.
A source divulged that Ameny withdrew Shs1.5bn from a bank account in the names of People Power in Bank of America Corporation bank.
Ameny said that when he withdrew the money, he sent it to Kamwokya secretariat.
The contested money was supposed to buy masks, pay salaries of workers at the secretariat, pay litigation costs like getting youths who were imprisoned by president Museveni’s government out of prison, buy beans and posho to be distributed among disadvantaged Ugandans during the Covid-19 lockdown and facilitate Bobi Wine’s 2021 presidential campaigns.
The source disclosed that later when Ameny insisted on asking for accountability from NUP bosses at the secretariat, they refused to give her the receipts or any document of accountability which put her in bad light.
She decided to resign.
KABANDA’S COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
In their 9 paged report, Kabanda’s committee revealed that they interfaced and had lengthy discussions with different NUP chapters.
These included: Boston, Florida and European Union, Sweden, Washington DC, Seattle, United Kingdom, Turkey, Minnesota, South Africa, Canada, California, United Arab Emirates, Zambia and Asian Chapter.
They further disclosed that all these chapters were divided on how to choose their leaders.
“In light of this therefore, the committee recommends that in order to keep the NUP diaspora strong and insulated from infiltration by the dictatorship, the president (Bobi Wine) should continue to appoint the top diaspora leadership. This leadership would in turn recommend to him persons to be appointed to lead the different regional chapters. This will give the people an opportunity to participate, but at the same time, the secretariat shall have the opportunity to vet the nominations before the president finally appoints them,” Kabanda’s report reads in part.
On the issue of accountability, the committee recommended that the secretariat can make accountability but in privacy because of the environment they are operating in, especially when it comes to facilitating political activism and other party activities.
“It is recommended that the leadership of the diaspora, once constituted, appoints three persons from among their members, who would have access to all information relating to what the funds raised by the diaspora have done. They would in turn make regular reports to the diaspora leaders without divulging any confidential information,” the report further reads.
The committee recommended that diaspora members who want to facilitate the activities of the foot-soldiers must pass through the secretariat to avoid mismanagement.
ANOTHER NUP DIASPORA BOSS RESIGNS
In the conclusion, the committee asked Bobi Wine to accept Harman Ainebyona’s resignation letter. Ainebyona resigned from the position of head of the NUP diaspora Chapter.
The report noted that Ainebyona told them that the reason why he resigned is because of fatigue.
SENYONJO CRITICIZES THE ENTIRE REPORT
In his response to Kabanda’s report, Senyonjo (the New York/New Jersey Chapter Coordinator) revealed that from the start, Kabanda showed biasness before even proceeding with her assignment when she recommended that the diaspora leadership be appointed by the president.
Senyonjo complained that the committee was following orders given to them by Rubongoya.
He advised Bobi Wine not to adopt the said report because it will promote dictatorship yet that is the reason they are fighting to remove president Museveni.
He warned that if Bobi Wine accepts the report, he will also adopt a strategy of scattering NUP diaspora chapter members. This tactic was used to divide Uganda North America Association (UNAA).
When UNAA became disorganized, many Ugandans abroad left the association citing president Museveni’s hand in choosing the top leadership.
On the issue of accountability, Senyonjo said that the committee didn’t mention anything concerning the people at the secretariat who mismanaged the diaspora funds and the money they contributed during the arrest of the NUP diehard Fred Kajubi Lumbuye.
KABANDA’S COMMITTEE REPORT:
SENYONJO’S COUNTER REPORT
By Sengooba Alirabaki
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