{UAH} Museveni Named In Shs200bn ID Saga

Museveni Named In Shs200bn ID Saga

President Museveni directed the Internal Affairs Ministry to hand the shs230bn identity card project to Germany firm, Muhlbauer Technology, without due consideration of procurement rules, a senior government official has disclosed.

By Dickens Honeywell Okello - Parliament 16 hours 19 minutes ago

Muhlbauer Technology was contracted on Museveni's instructions, according to PS Stephen Kagoda

The shocking revelation was made on Wednesday by Internal Affairs Minister, Dr Stephen Kagoda while appearing before Parliament Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The MPs are likely to ask President Museveni to explain his involvement in the controversial deal, considering that in some cases, civil servants have always hid under the cover of the head-of-state to evade prosecution for corruption cases.

In other instances, government officials present forged documents to investigative committees to shift the blame to the President.

 

In March 2010, Government contracted Muhlbauer Technology to supply technology and other related services for the national IDs Project.

However, the project failed to take off due to reports of graft. This compelled the Ministry of Defence to take on the contract, only to drop it a few months later due to lack of sufficient funds.

It was returned to the Internal Affairs Ministry which also needs another shs205bn to register at least 18 million Ugandans above the age of 16 plus processing their national identity cards.

Storm

During a stormy hearing at Parliament today, officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs kept dodging questions on who exactly sourced for Muhlbauer.

The MPs recently discovered that government breached all procurement processes in contracting the company.

Officials who spearheaded the procurement admitted to the Committee that they did not follow Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Asset (PPDA) procedures and that no advertisement was made either locally or internationally let alone bidding.

Led by firebrand Kassiano Wadri, MPs then asked the Internal Affairs officials "which authority gave you these powers to breach the open and simple PPDA Act."

At first, Dr Kagoda attempted to shift blame to the Ministry of Finance, saying, "it was in charge of this financial transaction" and that "Bank of Uganda executed the payment."

Tempers flared in the Committee room with Kibuku County MP, Saleh Kamba telling colleagues Dr. Kagoda knew what transpired in deliberations that preceded the transaction and was simply being elusive.

"The PS has all the information but he is just delaying our time. He knows what happened and must tell us today," charged Kamba.

A visibly enraged Wadri rolled his eyes threateningly before warning Kagoda that he would be handed to Police if kept playing games.

"We are here for serious business Mr PS. If you don't open up, the CID of Parliament will deal with you," charged Wadri.

Dr. Kagoda, who had earlier exuded confidence during his submission, started trembling.

He quietly passed on a file to Wadri, signaling with his eyes that the chairman reads for himself the person who single-handedly outsourced Muhlbauer and eventually ordered for the contract to be given to the Germany firm.

After reading contents in the file, Wadri smiled before telling his committee members: "Let's continue now. I now know the reason why he feared to use his voice to tell us. As a public servant he is worried but Kassiano is going to declare it and we continue".

The file, which was passed to Committee members and publicly read by Wadri, had a letter dated April 24 2009, referring to a meeting at State House Entebbe between President Museveni, then Minister of Finance, Syda Bbumba and German ambassador Klaux Dieter Duxmann which determined the procurement process.

According to the letter, president Museveni reportedly "approved" and ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to give the contract to Muhlbauer.

 

In an interesting turn of events, Kagoda also asked to be "forgiven" after it was discovered that the taxpayer lost Shs7.7b in the poor calculation of foreign exchange rate during the signing of the contract.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

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