How mafia planned to drag Ed kisaka into a corruption scandal - COSASE Committee identifies loopholes in procurements, Infrastructure & contract awarding

Here is how mafia planned to drag Kampala Capital City Council Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka in Corruption scandals, plans unmasked by COSASE during inspection of Kcca infrastructure in the city. 

The property contained on Plot 71 Nkrumah Road - Not leased by ED Kisaka.

According to records this property was leased in 2010 by then Kampala City Council to Securex Amenities (U) Limited whose directors were listed as Businessman Ephraim Ntaganda, Bob Kanaabi and Innocent Mutajabura, by this time kisaka was not the executive director.

In 2011, KCCA turned into an Authority and Erias Lukwago was elected as City Lord Mayor. He soon demanded for investigations into the sale, often clashing with by then Executive Director of KCCA Jenifer Musisi, who he accused of frustrating his efforts.

In 2017, Lukwago asked the Auditor General to conduct forensic audit into the disposal of the property.

According to the report, the Uganda Land Commission and Kampala City Council-KCC did not comply with the requirements of section 59 of the Local Governments Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets regulations of 2006 which requires the involved government agency and the buyer to carry out due diligence.

The report further indicates that KCC and Securex did not obtain prior approval of the Minister to dispose of the property as required by the Public PPDA Act 2013.

Cosase probes and inspection  on this Nkuruma property.

Members of Parliament on Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) Also learnt that prime land belonging to Uganda Land Commission, which housed a Kampala Capital City Authority dispensary, was fraudulently appropriated to M/s Securex Amenities Limited. 

The committee learnt that the land located at Plot 71 Nkrumah Road was leased to Ms Securex Amenities Limited on condition that two floors will be condominium property of KCCA, but the developer never fulfilled the condition and has now converted the leasehold into freehold under controversial circumstances. 

In correspondences shared with MPs, former Kampala Mayor Nasser Ntege Ssebaggala asked then Town Clerk, Ruth Kijjambu to clear the acquisition by Ms Securex. 

In response, however, Kijjambu asked the then Mayor to discuss the matter in the Executive Committee, which purportedly approved the said acquisition. 

Appearing before the committee on Thursday, 09 March 2023, Kijjambu disowned the correspondences purporting to bear her signature, terming them a forgery. 

“They wrote a letter to the then Mayor, who asked me to consider the issue and whether I have any comments; the Executive Committee discussed the issue [and] one or two floors was to be maintained as a hospital or clinic for KCCA,” she said. 

Kijjambu denied having authored subsequent documents omitting the issue of two building floors being given to KCCA. 

“The signature seems to be similar to mine but I’m not sure whether this is my signature; it looks like someone scanned my signature and placed it in this document,” she said. 

MPs also learnt from the Auditor General that by the time Ms Securex was allocated the lease, it wasn’t incorporated as a company, and that the file containing all correspondences incidental to the impugned transaction has since been confirmed missing by officials from the Uganda Land Commission (ULC).

Hon. Bumaali Mpindi (NRM, PWD Central) said there is a web of corrupt officials who are complicit in such dubious transactions. 

“It seems to be a cartel of public servants doing these kind of things; this problem lies in the hands of Uganda Land Commission, it started from there,” he said.

The Director Legal Affairs in KCCA, Caleb Mugisha, however, denied any wrongdoing instead saying the office of the Executive Director never shared with him the findings of the Auditor General on possible fraud in the transaction for his opinion. 

Members of Parliament on Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) together with Kcca officials, headed by Ed Kisaka inspected this property and proved that Kisaka was completely out of this deal.

KCCA shs2.1bn for furniture myth.

This was also a mafia trap to see ED Kisaka land in corruption scandal but lucky enough she was set off the hook.

KCCA queried over shs2.1bn for furniture:

Parliament's Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises COSASE are investigating how Kampala Capital City Authority KCCA used 2.1 billion shillings to purchase 39 chairs, 14 tables and five desks. This is a query raised in the Auditor General’s report for financial statements ending June 2022. KCCA officers were  asked to explain several issues including how 13 billion shillings meant to cater for the recruitment of teachers and health workers in KCCA facilities was returned to the treasury.

How it ended:

Clarifications were made by the Auditor General’s office on the 2nd of march 2023, conceding  that the 2.1B attributed to KCCA furniture purchase was incorrect. 

According to ED Kisaka, she availed documentation showing that the expenditure on furniture in FY 21/22 was UGX 135M not the 2.1B. This was a hot trap by the mafia to drag down Kisaka.

Shs10b per km on urban roads saga.

This was also another trap which almost saw ED kisaka crippled after all media houses publishing various stories of different angles.

This also prompted Parliament's Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises COSASE to dig deeper to establish facts.

after Appearing before COSAS last week, Joel Ssenyonyi, chairperson of this committee instructed ED kisaka and other Kcca officials to go inspect part of these roads.

Inspection took place on Friday 17th March 2023 and the committee was amused by the great works ongoing on these roads.

According to  ED kisaka, these are extra ordinary  roads in the city which will have special drainage system, widened, toilet installation, better parking road space, Market centers on other roads, security and traffic lights installation.

Kisenyi USh373 billion Land Purchase:

what you need to  know:-

Metropolitan Affairs State Minister Kabuye Kyofatogabye and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka denied allegations that they purchased 10 acres of land in Kisenyi for USh370b without the public’s knowledge.

Correspondences seen by the Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) showed that KCCA expressed interest in the land in November 2022 to create market space for low-income earners and establish taxi parks.

Engagement with Land Vendors:-

Despite the expressed interest, the deal fell through due to a land wrangle. Some of the Kampala leaders, Kyofatogabye and Kisaka confirmed that KCCA has engaged with several land vendors, including John Bosco Muwonge, but they have not purchased any land.

Kisaka stated that KCCA is seeking two trading spaces in every division, which has been discussed publicly. The organisation has a database of people who have expressed interest in selling land, but no land has been purchased.

No Purchase of Land:

Kyofatogabye confirmed that KCCA has not bought any land, and there is no record of such a transaction. He stated that there are expressions of interest and assessments, but no specific piece of land has been identified for purchase.

The allegations arose from a January 5, 2023 letter from Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi, instructing KCCA to undertake due diligence on the Kisenyi land.

in a letter  to Ms Dorothy Kisaka, Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija said negotiations to pay for the land would not make progress unless the land wrangles have been resolved.

He had summoned Ms Kisaka, Mr Muwonge, M/S Obed Mwebesa and Associated Advocates, the Head of the Private Sector Development Unit in the Finance Ministry, and the head of the legal unit in the same ministry for a meeting to resolve the matter in February.

However, the meeting was held on February 5th 2023 and the minister didn’t get clear answers on who exactly owned the Kisenyi land.

This was a big trap to drag Kisaka in a $100 million (approximately USh373 billion) to acquire 10 acres of Kisenyi land  to relocate street sellers. Approximately 6,000 vendors were expected to occupy this facility.