The conflict between Evelyn Anite, State Minister for Investment and Privatization, and Robert Mukiza, Director General of the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), has intensified following a heated meeting at State House Entebbe on Wednesday.
Meeting Called by President Museveni
President Yoweri Museveni convened the meeting after reports surfaced about a Sh545m honorarium awarded to certain UIA staff members.
During the meeting, Anite reportedly lost her temper when Mukiza accused her of corruption.
Breakdown of Honorarium Payments
Of the Sh545m, Mukiza allegedly received Sh82m. Other recipients included Dr. Paul Kyalimba (Sh58m), Patience Kyabaje (Sh43m), John Bwambale (Sh43m), Amina Nassaka (Sh17m), Susanne Akware (Sh7m), Joanita Kambedha (Sh8m), Mwanga Muzamil (Sh5m), and Augustine Katale (Sh5m). Additional payments were made to project management team members: Alex Nuwagira (Sh92m), Felix Tumukunde Beinemaryo (Sh55m), Emmanuel Muhumuza (Sh49m), William Sande (Sh36m), and Dominic Mugesera (Sh30m).
Source of Funds
These honorariums were paid from the €219,482,727 (approximately Sh871b) secured from UK Export Finance (UKEF) on December 4, 2019, to finance the Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP) infrastructure development project.
Allegations of Corruption
Anite viewed the honorarium as corruption and demanded the recipients return the money within 24 hours from June 12. She also noted that the KIBP project, expected to be completed by January 5, 2024, was only 50% complete by June 12.
Refusal to Refund
Mukiza and his team refused to return the money, arguing that it was legally paid for extra work on the KIBP project.
They asserted that the board approved the honorarium and that it was included in their human resources manual.
Stormy Meeting at State House
Sources revealed that the State House meeting, attended by other finance ministers and UIA staff who shared the Sh545m, became very tense.
Mukiza continued to accuse Anite of corruption, citing specific cases to support his claims. The situation escalated to the point where Anite cried in front of President Museveni, who then halted the meeting.
Public Reactions
Following the meeting, Anite expressed her frustration on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), questioning who would save Uganda from corruption.
She accused Mukiza of lying to President Museveni to protect himself and vowed to remain truthful. In another post, she thanked President Museveni for his intervention and ensuring the honorarium would be recovered.
Mukiza’s Response
Mukiza declined to comment directly, stating, “The President guided on the matter and we will adhere to his guidance.”
However, in a statement to UIA’s chairperson of the board of directors, Morrison Rwakakamba, dated June 14, 2024, Mukiza explained that after the termination of the owner’s engineer on August 29, 2022, additional responsibilities were assigned to the project management team and UIA staff to supervise the KIBP infrastructure development.
The UIA board approved compensating the staff for these extra duties within the legal framework.
Between the Lines
The conflict between Anite and Mukiza reached a boiling point during the State House meeting, highlighting deeper issues of accountability and transparency within the UIA and the broader Ugandan government.
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