Uganda: Minister Amongi Speaks Out On Disagreement With Nabbanja, Byarugaba Interdiction and the Shs 6 Billion

Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Improvement Betty Amongi Akena speaks to NBS Tv’s Canary Mugume about her suspicions relating to the administration of the Nationwide Social Safety Agency (NSSF) which have led to the parliament probe.

The board advisable Richard Byarugaba to be re-appointed regardless of him clicking retirement age. Why did you not go by the board’s suggestion?

I didn’t settle for the advice of the board as a result of I wished readability on a few of the allegations that I had acquired from a number of sources. So the variety of points which might be contained in my letter associated to monetary impropriety undertaken below the previous MD Richard Byarugaba truly got here from the employees of NSSF, a few of whom are very near him, they gave me briefs. And past affordable doubt, I do know there was mismanagement however as a Minister, I haven’t got the mandate to find out that, that’s the reason I requested to defer the re-appointment (of Richard Byarugaba) and permit investigations to go on.

Is that the identical cause you rejected or disregarded the letter from the Prime Minister re-appointing Richard?

Article 117 of the Structure of the Republic of Uganda states very clearly that the minister shall be answerable to the President. It is a essential matter. I annexed all my evidences. I additionally went to take a seat with the Proper Honourable Prime Minister. I mentioned along with her the proof that I had, and she or he agreed with me that an investigation must be carried out. Nevertheless, her place was that investigation can proceed whereas Mr. Byarugaba is in workplace, nonetheless, as a lawyer, I have to do one thing authorized. I needed to step in to interdict him.

However the Prime Minister is your boss. You continue to didn’t observe her directive, you by no means listened to her.

Sure. She is my boss and as a boss she can provide you me directive. However I have to train that directive inside the authorized framework.

The President wrote you a letter saying that earlier than making a decision you need to seek the advice of quietly however we now see letters authored by you, on the market on social media. Did you deliberately leak them?

When Mr. Richard Byarugaba realised that I used to be now not going to re-appoint him till the investigation is carried out, upon receipt of the a duplicate of my letter, deferring his appointment, he began a smear marketing campaign in opposition to me, together with utilizing folks to leak my letter and I obtained the intelligence report, and I would like the folks on the market to know that each single plot and smear marketing campaign and the plan that was occurring, I used to be briefed every day by intelligence.

Let’s speak in regards to the 6 billion shillings request, was it by you? Did you may have private pursuits in it?

The precise reality is that when the brand new regulation got here into power in February 2022 and the price range obtained to my desk, the statistics have been very clear that these are the identical actions that NSSF has been endeavor. Then Richard himself wrote to me, indicating that these actions have been undertaken by the fund, I referred to as for a gathering for price range approval, and we agreed with him and the administration workforce that since we are actually going into voluntary, it will require us to go to succeed in out and register 75% of the overall working inhabitants on this nation, subsequently, I used their determine of 5.6 billion which was budgeted for, within the earlier monetary years to implement the brand new regulation. The one exercise I added was the one associated to diaspora and that’s the reason in all of the committee sittings, Richard has been requested to provide a letter the place the Minister wished this cash for her ministry. He has failed to provide it, and no no one has produced, why? As a result of all of them know that it’s the reality. It’s authorized. It’s actions for the fund, and to be executed by the fund, and so they know that it’s proper.

What are your particular points with the administration of NSSF? What issues do you may have about pension towers, Temangalo, the challenge in Lubowa, NSSF’s funding within the Kenyan securities?

There was misrepresentation of truth; How folks package deal misrepresent information and facilitate them all through and course of cash, large sums of cash till it’s authorized by means of all of the system and so they need me as a Minister to approve as a result of I am the ultimate particular person to approve, and so they need me to approve with out questioning or with out conducting due diligence. That’s my main downside.

Within the case of pension towers. I discovered that they already made a conversion of shs.76 billion, however after I visited to the positioning by now the Pension hours ought to have been concluded and may have been handed over. It was not over, so I found that there was a crack. Upon inquiring from the board whether or not they have been conscious there is a crack, the board stated they’ve heard about it however that they had not been allowed to go to. So I gave the board a activity. They by no means obtained again to me on what that they had concluded. If that they had come again to me, I cannot have put it as one of many points immediately. Earlier than I ordered for that investigation, I requested the board to research first as a result of administration that they had requested for an extra shs.42 billion for pension towers, that cash is mendacity there on their desk ready for the investigation.

Richard instructed me in regards to the invitation of the President to launch Lubowa housing property with 303 items. I instructed him I can’t attend that occasion as a minister earlier than I tour it. He organised, and I visited the challenge with him. In the course of the tour, I used to be being proven homes and flats; two bed room flats that value shs.800 million, a bangalow of 4 bedrooms about shs.1.7 billion. and many others. The cash was not including up. So, instantly I toured, I refuse to go for that launch. I delegated by Minister of State to go as a result of I knew there was an issue.

Truly, the most important largest fallout for me, will not be in regards to the shs.6 billion in media. It is about three issues which I didn’t put within the price range, the shs.400 billion which I rejected to place within the price range, the $1 million for company social duty, and the shs.112 billion for Yusuf Lule street. These are the one three issues that made former MD Richard run mad and I am glad he repeated it even within the committee probe.

Is the cash in NSSF secure?

Once they introduced the price range they requested me to approve cash that pays fund managers. Now what they do, they get cash from NSSF and switch it to the account of a non-public particular person whom they name a fund supervisor. They usually inform you that fund supervisor to now sources for shares and equities from Kenya, UK, Tanzania but these folks have been sitting on this cash and making revenue out of it. And I do know so. So, after I obtained to know, I obtained my intelligence briefing. Typically they put cash in dormant accounts and so they give to cash lenders on the town.

What’s the function of Kapeeka and Normal Salim Saleh in all this? You wrote a letter the place you talked about Kapeeka 8 instances.

Kapeeka is an industrial park, as a minister answerable for labor, I requested to go to the commercial park however after I reached there, I discovered that staff weren’t registered with NSSF. So I requested Gen.Saleh why his workforce was not registered? I’ve truly requested NSSF to come back and register them. We mentioned with Gen.Saleh how Kapeeka industrial Park will be an instance.

Canary Mugume:

Minister, thanks for talking to us.

Minister Betty Amongi:

Pleasure is mine.