KAMPALA – The meeting held between the MPs on the Budget Committee alongside officials from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Works, officials from Uganda National Airlines Company Limited as well as officials from Uganda Registration Service Bureau turned chaotic after more questions emerged on who owned the company.
This was after the Committee learned that the Minister of Works, Monicah Azuba had stealthily withdrawn documents she had tabled before Parliament yesterday that had indicated that Government had withdrawn the earlier documents.
The confusion even saw all the officials put on oath and further interrogation of the documents revealed that although the company’s shares had been allotted on 11th July 2018, the public shares were registered in the names of Matia Kasaija (Minister of Finance and well as his Works and Transport counterpart, Monicah Azuba instead of the shares being recorded in the name of their respective Ministries.
Bemanya Twebaze, Registrar General, Uganda Registration Service Bureau clarified on the matter saying it isn’t unique for companies at first registration to have one share as had been the case with Government, and that this can be rectified by allotting shares after the company takes off.
He said: “This is the clerical error, it doesn’t challenge the substance of the owner.”
Although Bemanya’s office was the one the certified the document that Azuba tabled before Parliament, he admitted the certification was in error because the company allotted shares on 11th July 2018 with Government fully owning the company under-representation from the Minister of Works and Minister of Finance.
The Registrar General said; “Subject to the errors, when you allotted all the shares, you can’t do a second allotment. These two million shares the subsequent allotment isn’t of no legal consequences because you allot once in the life of a company. Ignore yesterday’s allotment because it is of no legal consequences.”
However his statement was rejected by Amos Lugoloobi, Chairperson Budget Committee who fired back; “They allotted shares to Kasaija and Azuba, how can you say this is a clerical error? If that is in error it is fair you admit.”
Asked if the document was sustainable, Bemanya said “It is, subject to being corrected. I am saying this in the context of powers of the registrar. The law gives registrar powers to correct documents.”
The apologies weren’t enough to sway the MPs with Joy Atim (Lira Woman) accusing the officials of doing things deliberately and asked what would have happened if the Committee had simply glossed over the documents regarding ownership of the company; “We are talking to a whole registrar general whom we feel knows the importance of documents, who owns this company. What were the intentions in these things?”
The Committee ordered the team to harmonise their documents ahead of the plenary sitting that is meant to convene and debate on the report that recommends having the Shs280Bn meant for the purchase of the two Bombardier jets
Winfred Kiiza (Kasese Woman) said that there is a need for the Ministry of Works to confirm whether the bombardier Government is set to purchase are new after information that the aircraft are overhauled bombardiers.
She also called on the Works and Finance Ministries to cleans up the company before the airline goes into business arguing; “I am worried that the Directors of the Company didn’t know that they allotted shares when you see chairman and Company Secretary and means they aren’t in control of the company they are managing.”
“It indicates that the administration of the company from the word go is having issues. You have a lot of work to do to ensure that taxpayers money doesn’t go to waste, from the way things are they are bad. We don’t want to be seen as blocking government from bringing airline it would be better for company to be put under Uganda Development Corporation,” said Kiiza.
