Connect with us
  • CRIME

    Ministry Of Trade PS Ssali Faces Arrest Over Fraudulent Gov’t Deals …

    Published

    on

    PS Ministry of Trade Geraldine Ssali

    The chairperson of the parliamentary committee on trade Mwine Mpaka has issued criminal summons against Geraldine Ssali the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Trade to appear before his committee or face arrest.

    Mpaka explained that severally, his committee has been summoning Ssali to appear before the parliamentary committee to explain a number of issues concerning the procurement of vehicles of top ministry officials and renting of the ministry offices where irregularities have been cited.

    Appearing before Mpaka’s committee on Monday, Alfred Lapyam the former head of procurement in the ministry of trade revealed that he was fired from his office after challenging the illegal process which was being used to procure five vehicles that were supposed to be used by  top officials in the ministry.

    He alleges that Ssali turned furious when he told her to first write to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development who is also the Secretary to the Treasury to guide on the deal.

    However, she rubbished his advice telling him that she is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and there is no need to write to her counterpart in the ministry of finance explaining because she has the powers to approve the transaction.

    He claimed that after being illegally fired and his name deleted from the ministry system, a one Opio, an office attendant in the ministry of trade was given the responsibility of leading the procurement process of the said vehicles.

    Lapyam’s testimony was supported by Katerere County legislator Hetwib Katoto who said that the said vehicles price is not Shs600m each as Ssali claims but Shs400m each according to his investigation on Google.

    He added that Ssali violated the 2003 standing order that obligates government entities to first get permission from the PS in the Ministry of Finance to purchase vehicles.

    Everest Ahimbisibwe, the former Principal Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Trade told the committee that Ssali told them that she wanted them to be procured within the shortest period of time and it is the reason why the deal was removed from Maybach.

    The committee also received the report from the Ministry of Works and Transport after inspecting the said vehicles and establishing that they were valued at Shs500m each.

    Mpaka also wants Ssali to explain how she used Shs5bn which was allocated to her ministry for renting offices, Shs3bn for fitting and Shs2bn for infrastructure in the event that the ministry shifted to a new building.

    Ahimbisibwe told the committee that when President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni appointed Ssali as Permanent Secretary to the ministry trade, she cancelled the rent plan and told them that they should renovate Farmer’s House, a building that houses the ministry right now.

    Mpaka said that Ssali paid Shs6.9bn for renovation of the said building even though Shs3.9bn was quoted as the cost for the job.

    However, through her twitter handle, Ssali explained that the process of procuring the said vehicles Registration Number UG 0465T manufactured in 2021, mileage 41 KL, UG 0466T manufactured in 2021, mileage 28, UG 0467T manufactured 2020, mileage 105, UG 0468T, manufacture 2020, mileage 75 and UG 0475T, manufactured in 2020, mileage 75 followed the necessary legal procedure which include comprehensive inspection reports and approval from the Solicitor General.

    She insisted that the procurement process was carried out through fair and transparent bidding processes and underwent thorough scrutiny by the Ministry of Works and Transport.

    She explained that they used Shs2.8bn to purchase the brand new vehicles after the old one had become outdated and regularly experienced mechanical failures.

    She added that the Solicitor General further approved the renovation of the Farmer’s House which was in a dilapidated condition and restricted bidding was done to ensure compliance with the PPDA Act and Shs5bn was used on the job.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

    Comments

    CRIME

    Brig. Gen. Ddamulira Advised To Clear Air On Allegation Of Shielding Criminal Gangs To Avoid Ending Up Like Gen. Kayihura…

    Published

    on

    Criminal Intelligence boss Brig. Gen. Christopher Ddamulira

    Uganda’s representative to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) James Kakooza has advised the nonsense police’s Director for Criminal Intelligence Brig. Gen. Christopher Ddamulira Sserujogi to come up openly and clear the air on allegation made against him of shielding criminal gangs in Kampala city and Metropolitan areas because he fears a nasty ending like former Inspector General of Police Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura.

    Kakooza revealed that when Gen. Kayihura was at the helm of police leadership, allegations were made against him that he used criminal gangs to solve political questions.

    Kakooza narrated that he severally pleaded with Kayihura that if the allegations are true, he should stop because it was soiling his name.

    He added that Gen. Kayihura’s enemies based on his cooperation with criminal gangs to fabricate criminal allegations against him including pinning him over his involvement in the high level murders in the country.

    He stated that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni based on the said allegation to fire Kayihura from police leadership and ordered for his arrest and prosecution in the court martial.

    “If president Museveni didn’t handle Gen Kayihura’s issues with maturity and experience, he would have ended up being sentenced to death or life imprisonment because the allegations placed on him were very treasonous. So my young brother Brig. Gen. Ddamulira should come out and clear the air on those allegations put against him,” Kakooza stated.

    He added that Brig. Gen. Ddamulira’s statement will not only cleared him but it will also clear the good name of the UPDF institution.

    Kakooza’s advice comes days after Kira Municipality legislator and also the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda accused Brig. Gen. Ddamulira of shielding criminals that beat up FDC delegates and stole their belongings both at Busabala and Katonga where they had gone to attend the Extra-Ordinary Delegates Conference summoned by party national chairperson Wasswa Birigwa.

    The Observer newspaper journalist Baker Batte also accused the criminal gang of stealing his brand new laptop.

    However, while speaking to theGrapevine, Batte confirmed that his latotop was recovered by Katwe police even though they have not yet handed it over to him.

    The ghetto leadership in Kampala city, Mukono, Wakiso districts also issued a statement asking Ssemujju to apologize to Brig. Gen. Ddamulira for tarnishing his name that he is shielding criminal gangs in the city.

    Shafik Kalyango, the coordinator ghetto structures, John Lukuse and Geoffrey Nsamba who were arrested by police for terrorising FDC delegates.

    They confessed that they are members of the ghetto structures which is supervised by State House, Brig. Gen. Ddamulira and officials from the ministry in charge of Kampala Metropolitan whose objective is to turn them into good citizens.

    Kalyango added that they are mobilizing the ghetto youths who have not yet joined their structures to avoid being used by the politicians to fight their battles against their political enemies and among them are those who beat FDC delegates and journalists.

    Ssemujju admitted to having seen Kalyango’s letter on social media even though it he not yet been officially served.

    He appreciated the efforts made by Brig. Gen. Ddamulira to organise youths in the city.

    He added that officially, Brig. Gen. Ddamulira denied having knowledge of the criminals hired by the Najjanankumbi FDC camp of party president Patrick Amuriat Oboi and Nathan Nandala Mafabi the Secretary General.

    Ssemujju however noted that there are elements in security circles who are working with criminal gangs in the city.

    He pleaded with Brig. Gen. Ddamulira to use his office to tame them because they will wreak havoc in the country.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

    Comments

    Continue Reading

    CRIME

    Serial Litigant Wants High Court Judge Mutonyi To Be Sentence To Death By Hanging Or Beheaded For Failing To Post His Ruling On Judiciary Website…

    Published

    on

    Justice Margaret Mutonyi

    George Okello, the Resident High Court Judge of Gulu has issued a permanent injunction restraining and baring serial litigant Joseph Opiyo Otiiti from filing any other Court lawsuits against any judicial officer in Uganda.

    In his ruling dated 12th September, 2023, Judge Okello stated that whereas his court appreciates the right of every person to access courts, as observed in a plethora of cases, the matter before him was a very exceptional case in which Opiyo should be barred from continuing his reckless suits against judicial officers simply because they have decided otherwise in cases where he is involved.

    The shocking ruling resulted from an application filed by Opiyo against Vian Kwizera the Grade One Magistrate accusing him of violating his rights when he presided over a matter filed by Gulu Principle State Attorney Joseph Nyeko against him seeking a Court Order to subject Opiyo to mental examination.

    Opiyo sued the Magistrate for allowing Nyeko’s application to have him subjected to medical examination to determine his mental status as Stated under Section 50 of the Mental Health Act 2018.

    Opiyo also accused the magistrate of violating his right when he delayed the quick hearing of his application challenging the staying of his cases in court until he was subjected to mental examination and court furnished with the medical report.

    He further accused him of refusing to give him the record of proceedings to help him challenge his ruling.

    In his application, Opiyo was also seeking aggravated damages of Shs350, 000,000 for defamation and for calling him a person of unsound mind.

    He further prayed that court recovers damages through attachment of 80% of the Magistrates’ salary and retirement benefits, until all his pending cases in court are concluded and finally executed.

    He further prayed for security for himself and his family for 50 years due to fear that he will be murdered.

    He prayed for the prosecution of the magistrate and other judicial officers who violated his human rights.

    The magistrate opposed the application through her affidavit denying all the allegations and explaining that she observed the applicant’s rights during all the judicial hearings.

    He added that none of the applicant’s rights were violated and he gave him all the records of the proceedings on the matter he presided over.

    Nyeko’s application to subject Opiyo to medical examination resulted from the numerous lawsuits filed against judicial officers including one he filed against Justice Margaret Mutonyi because she had upheld preliminary objection raised in a suit lodged by Opiyo against the Actions Against Hunger and the judge was sued together with two law firms of M.S M. Oyet and Company Advocates, Mumtaz Kassam Kassam Mumtaz and Moses Oyet lawyers of Action Against Hunger.

    The judge noted that it was wrong for Opiyo to sue judicial officers, lawyers and their law firms explaining that judicial officers and Advocates enjoyed immunity at common law for their conduct of litigation and that the action made against them by an unhappy litigant was barred.

    The case was presided over by Justice Stephen Mubiru who dismissed it with costs for being barred by law.

    Opiyo again instituted a lawsuit against Justice Mubiru for dismissing his case together with Justice Mutonyi who he accused of not posting the ruling she made against him on judiciary website.

    He pleaded to the presiding judge Alex Mackay Ajiji that Justice Mutonyi be sentenced to death by hanging or beheading over her actions of not posting his ruling on the judiciary website, which was an act of war against the Republic of Uganda.

    The presiding judge ordered in his ruling that due to compulsive behavior Opiyo exhibited in Court, the hearing of his numerous cases pending in court be stayed until a medical report is furnished as to his mental health status.

    Comments

    Continue Reading

    CRIME

    KCCA Top Boss Remanded To Prison Over Shs450m Fraudulent Deals…

    Published

    on

    Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court’s Ritah Neumbe Kidasa has remanded Hanniffer Mpuugu the deputy mayor Kampala Central Division over Shs450m fraudulent land deals.

    Court denied Mpuugu’s application seeking to be released on court bail based on the affidavit sworn by police detective Peter Abwona who pleaded to the magistrate not to release her claiming that she will jump the bail.

    In his affidavit presented to court by Doreen Erima the State Attorney, Abwona told Court that when the accused person was arrested by Kira Road police operatives in August 2022 on the said file, she was given police bond which she violated and declined to report back to police as one of the conditions given to her when released.

    Abwona said that Mpuugu’s file was forwarded to the Resident State Attorney for sanctioning and was later taken to court which issued criminal summons to have her arrested but she kept in hiding until an arrest warrant was issued against her.

    He explained to court that detectives traced her through her phone engagements but she kept on changing lines until they finally arrested her along Kampala-Gayaza road when she was with her children going for a party at Kasangati.

    The magistrate was convinced with Erima’s submission and objected to Mpuugu’s application for bail.

    She was remanded until 13th September, 2023 when the hearing of her case will be kicked off.

    According to court documents, in 2021, Mpuugu entered a land transaction with Grace Mulinde to sell him land situated at plot 4 Berkeley Road Entebbe Municipality in Wakiso district.

    The accused person was paid Shs450m and she assured the complainant that the land had no issues and that she was free to use.

    However, when he started using the land, he was denied access to it by members of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union who claimed its ownership.

    They told him that Mpuugu fraudulently forged their land title and efforts to recover his money were fruitless as she kept on deceiving him that she was sorting out the matter with the Nurses until he lost hope and decided to drag her to the police.

     

    By Grapevine Reporter

    Comments

    Continue Reading

    like us

    TRENDING

    theGrapevine is a subsidiary of Newco Publications Limited, a Ugandan multimedia group.
    We keep you posted on the latest from Uganda and the World. COPYRIGHT © 2022
    P.O Box 5511, Kampala - Uganda Tel: +256-752 227640 Email: info@thegrapevine.co.ug
    theGrapevine is licenced by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)