{UAH} Millions stolen from NRM Whip’s office

 

Folks:

 

This developing story touches on misuse of office. While the suspect should still be charged with theft, the Deputy NRM Chief Whip, David Bahati also some serious explaining to do: why did he use this suspect to do his personal errands during official time?

 

The money said to have been stolen was allegedly Bahati's from his personal business!

 

Pojim

 

 

Police at the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka are holding a parliamentary staff attached to the NRM Chief Whip Justine Kasule Lumumba's office after an unspecified sum of money disappeared from the office on Friday.

Fred Ojara, a front office desk manager in Lumumba's office, was arrested on Friday afternoon and transferred to the Kireka-based SIU in relation with the theft.

 

Sources within the police based at parliament have intimated to us that Ojara was picked up after the deputy NRM Chief whip David Bahati pointed him out as the prime suspect.

 

The police searched Ojara's residence at Kamwokya on Saturday, according to the source, but did not find the money.

How much?

There are conflicting accounts as to how much was stolen. Some sources told us on Monday that at least Shs 20m was stolen while others claim it was as much as Shs 200m. The money, according to an NRM official at parliament who preferred not to be named, belonged to Bahati.

"That was not government money, it was for his [Bahati] personal business; in fact his suppliers were waiting outside parliament to be paid," said the official.

This official further told us that Bahati placed the money in his office on Friday and headed for the special sitting of parliament, to pay tribute to the fallen former Buhweju MP Deusdedit Bikwatsizehi, but found nothing when he returned.

Before he went for the session, Bahati had reportedly given Shs 5m to Ojara for banking and kept the balance in his office.

"There is a lot of theft at parliament, I have also lost my laptop with a lot of information on it, and you wonder how thugs find it easy to steal from [here]. There must be something wrong with our security," the official said.

Other sources told us the money may have been intended for NRM activities in Bukanga where a by-election campaign is underway. The NRM candidate in the race is Stephen Kangwagye.

Bahati declined to speak to us when contacted. Kassiano Wadri, chairman of parliament's Public Accounts committee (PAC), described it as an abuse of financial regulations.

"For such money to be kept in an office, it must have a safe duly registered with the accountant general of the ministry of Finance," Wadri claimed.

"How did that money find itself in an individual's drawer, and for what purpose was it released to the government Chief whip's office? I'm inclined to say that [Lumumba's] office is stocked with politically employed persons, and these are known NRM officers who have now joined the eating racket," he added.