Kampala Metropolitan Senior Minister Hajjat Minsa Kabanda has exclusively confirmed to theGrapevine that president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed the country’s intelligence organs and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to investigate the alleged invisible hand behind traders’ leadership.

She explained that preliminary investigations have established that some leaders of traders who are advocating for endless strikes are biased in their decisions because there is an invisible hand pushing them with an agenda of sabotaging the country’s economy and creating an ungovernable situation.

“We know whatever they are planning. Our people are on ground, so they should stand warned,” Kabanda said.

She revealed that President Museveni was shocked to establish that in Kampala city alone, traders have more than 30 associations and each one of them has command.

This has created suspicion and the need for an investigation to establish their true motives.

The development comes at a time when traders are threatening to go into a two months strike without opening their shops in the city center if president Museveni doesn’t address their demands including the banning of the Electronic Receipting and Invoicing System (EFRIS).

On 7th May 2024, Museveni directed Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to sit down with leaders of traders and sort out their differences.

The President guided that once these leaders and URA agree, they should make a joint report which they should read to him and other traders on 20^th of June 2024 at Kololo independence grounds.

However, before that meeting, Minister Kabanda has disclosed that Museveni is set to meet leaders of traders in the State House to have some issues sorted out noting that government is doing everything in its power to make sure that what happened on 7th May 2024 never happens again.

She explained that it was bad for traders to shout at the President and embarrass senior government officials to the extent of accusing some of corruption insisting that traders’ behavior sent a warning signal to government that there must be an invisible hand influencing and facilitating them.

theGrapevine has established that the leadership of Kampala City Traders Association(KACITA) led by Thadeus Musoke Nagenda, Federation of Uganda Traders Association(FUTA), Katukazane Shoe Dealers, Kampala Arcaders Advocacy Forum, United Arcarders Traders Enterprenuers Association,  Uganda Needy and Squatters Association have resolved to join hands and strategise on how to come up with a common voice before the President.

Highly placed sources in intelligence have revealed to theGrapevine that all eyes are on David Kabanda who is being investigated for working for some opposition bigwigs who promised him support in the coming elections.

Sources said that Kabanda wants to become the city councilor on Lord Mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago’s council.

However, veteran journalist and the Senior presidential advisor on media Joseph Tamale Mirundi advised Museveni not to take lightly statements made in the United Kingdom’s House of Lords that King Charles’s leadership should influence regime change in Uganda.

He explained that the western powers are going to use all the available means to sabotage Museveni’s leadership insisting that there is invisible hand in traders’ frequent strikes.

But a section of KACITA leadership told theGrapevine that there are people in President Museveni’s government who are facilitating the creation of endless traders associations with the aim of benefiting from them and fighting the unity among traders.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Before President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni made the latest changes in the top command of military intelligence agency where he changed from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) to Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), he was shocked at how one of the top commandant was accumulating a lot of wealth in a very short period.

Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda recently revealed that Museveni was shocked recently while driving in a certain part of the country when he saw a mega farm sitting on land measuring more than one and half square miles.

Ssemujju narrated that the farm was newly established with modern equipment and thousands of very expensive breeds of cattle which forced him to ask his private operatives to investigate which tycoon owned the farm

He was shocked to learn that one of the CMI commandants is the owner of the farm.

Ssemujju disclosed that immediately, Museveni summoned the said CMI boss and quizzed him on where he got all the money he used to establish the said modern farm at his young age.

Ssemujju explained that Museveni was very bitter with the said senior operative and accussed him of mismanaging public funds which are supposed to be used in gathering information to protect the country and its citizens.

He added that because the seasoned operative was aware that before Museveni summoned him, he had made thorough investigations and was equipped with information, he decided to tell him the truth to survive.

The senior operative told the President how he got the billions he used to buy the land, compensate the tenants who were occupying it, modernizing it and buying high breed cows from a Chinese.

“He told him that he got the man from a Chinese investor. The president is very aware that most of his government officials get rich from getting bribes from investors and other corruption deals. So don’t be deceived that he can fight corruption because even in the case of that military officer, he left him to go without directing any prosecution against him,” Ssemujju said while appearing on Radio Simba’s Olutindo program hosted by senior political journalist Peter Kibazo.

On several occasions, Museveni has disclosed that that he knows how his government officials are getting bribes from Chinese investors.

Ssemujju explained that when Museveni’s government officials get information that a certain person is deployed in an office which is well facilitated with billions money, they make sure that they fight him and that is what they did to former Prime Minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, former Inspector General of Police Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura and others because they controlled fat budgets.

He revealed that even with the ongoing political turmoil against Annet Anita Among, there might be government officials fueling her troubles because she had become a threat to their political careers much as there are those also who want to be speakers of parliament.

He confirmed that like Mbabazi and Kayihura, Among is currently the second most powerful person in the country next to President Museveni which has fetched her trouble.

“They only fear Gen. Salim Saleh because he is a brother to Museveni but if it was not so, he would have also been fought like Kayihura, Mbabazi and others,” Ssemujju said.

He made the statements days after the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates issued sanctions against Among on allegations of corruption.

President Museveni directed the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka to follow up the allegation and force the United Kingdom government to provide evidence.

The Office of the Inspector General of Government confirmed that Among did not declare the alleged properties in the United Kingdom and United Arabs Emirates.

Among also assured the country that she owns nothing in the foreign countries claiming that western countries are targeting her because of the Homosexuality law.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Controversial lawyer Steven Kalali has clashed with High Court judge Alexandra Nkonge Rugadya over a Court Case File.

The disagreement resulted from Kalali’s prayer where is was asking the presiding officer not to kick off his case because she was not going to conclude his entire case.

He submitted that Justice Nkonge is set to retire early this year and the time she has left in public service is to clear the cases on her desk not to get fresh files like his.

However, the judge disagreed with Kalali insisting that she has to hear the matter at all cost which forced Kalali to threaten to file a recuse application against her.

This is not the first time that a retiring judge feel bad when asked to leave the matter to another judge because of their remaining time in the public service.

Justice Joseph Mulangira faced off with lawyers led by Arthur Ssempebwa of Katende Ssempebwa and Company Advocates in the divorce case filed by city Pastor Aloysious Bujjingo of House of Prayers Ministries International against their client Teddy Naluswa Bujjingo.

Justice Wilson Musane Musene was forced by the principal judge to hand over the office and officially go into retirement.

By Hadijjah Namagembe