KAMPALA – Details have emerged of how a group of city mafia, recorded a case at the Central Police Station in Kampala, then used the entry to access the mobile money transactions of the National Water & Sewerage Corporation Managing Director Dr. Silver Mugisha from MTN Uganda.
The leaking of Dr. Mugisha’s mobile money transactions is at the centre of allegations of impropriety at the government water utility company targeting the MD in the aftermath of the fallout from the ruling NRM party primaries in Bushenyi district, where his wife Annet Katusiime Mugisha wrestled the flag from General Duties Minister Mary Karooro Okurut.
Ms Mugisha won the district with a stunning 74 percent of the vote, debunking the historically held view that voters can be divided using religious grounds and use of money.
Some big political heavy weights from the traditionally politically poralised district, who initially dismissed Ms Mugisha’s ability to beat the Minister they heavily supported, have since decided to target her husband to dislodge him from the NWSC Managing Director’s chair.
In the latest revealations, the NWSC has protested actions of a police officer attached to the CPS, who using case a reference CBR 440/220, then obtained a court order under application No. 2576/2020 at Makindye court, and used it to obtain records of Dr. Mugisha’s official telephone number assigned to him by the corporation.
“In summation therefore, we beg your indulgence and beg that in the face of the allegations under CBR 440/2020, that the right to fair hearing is inherent,” Edith Katete, the NWSC Corporation Secretary wrote to the Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth-Ochola.
It’s not yet clear whether the application by a one Okuda Zachariah or the complainant, one Akilong Monica are police officers but the records were reportedly being dangled by some big political figures in the rival camps in the Bushenyi political arena, in the aftermath of the NRM primaries.
A one Ester Akello has been recorded as a suspect on the case, recorded as stealing money from Dr. Mugisha’s account, using the Bamugisha Community Welfare Ltd bank accounts at Centenary bank.
The allegations claim that Dr. Mugisha, has through the Bamugisha Community Welfare Ltd (BCWL) run by his wife and now Bushenyi Woman MP NRM flagbearer Annet Mugisha has been misusing resources of the corporation to fund positive community initiatives to boost his wife’s political fortunes.
However, the NWSC has since explained that there was no nexus between the corporation’s resources and funding of the NGO.
Dr. Mugisha also had the the private company declared to the IGG in accordance with the Leadership Code.
MM transactions explained:
The allegations that the NWSC chief used his official mobile number to make huge private transactions off the corporation coffers have been dismissed as unfounded.
Acvording to Mr. Sam Apedel, the NWSC Senior Public Relations Manager, the private mobile money transactions using a CUG number attached to the MD were purely private and “the practice did not violate any laws of the country”.
It was also noted that for the record, while the NWSC does gets receivable through mobile money, it doesn’t pay out through the same medium.
The Corporation’s Board has since received and adopted explanations in relation to recent allegations of impropriety in procurement of training centres in Northern and Western Uganda, and other projects, that continues part of the narrative targeting Dr. Mugisha’s position.
Top officials have also defended the Dr. Mugisha against allegations of involvement in some of the mentioned projects, dismissed allegations that his private residence was constructed on the corporation’s land.
At a recent session, the board was informed that the acquisition of the corporation’s two training facilities — one at Kachung in Lira, and another in Bushenyi, had been done following the guidelines of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), and that the procurements were subjected to a variation process before the government’s chief valuer before the vendors were paid.
Top officials have also defended Dr. Mugisha against allegations of involvement in some of the mentioned projects, dismissed allegations that his private residence was constructed on the corporation’s land.
Dr. Mugisha, speaking to the media earlier in the month said that while allegations, published via an online newsite were not surprising, all lacked fact and proper hypothesis.
He said on Wednesday October 7, that the allegations are diversionary but what comforts him are the performance strides NWSC has made in the last 6 years.
Under Dr. Mugisha’s helm, the NWSC’s annual turnover has increased from Shs 150Bn to Ushs 460Bn; surplus before depreciation has increased from Ushs 30Bn to Ushs 103Bn; the number of customer connections from 270,000 to 700,000 and the pipe network length from 6,500kms to 20,000kms.
“All this could NOT have happend through wrong doing by management but rather correct strategies, committment to work and service-orientation.
Dr. Mugisha praised the NWSC board for strong leadership
“We have, all along worked with a Board that keeps a keen eye on policy making and oversight role with a strong “catching management doing right things” orientation. This makes a significant distinction from a Board that purposes to catch management doing wrong things,” he said.
“In terms of promoting organisational staff motivation, the former orientation dives deep into wider public good while the latter tends to serve individual self-interests. I am happy that the Board that we now have are working hard to protect shareholder interests while buttressing everything with positive incentives for management and staff”.
