SQUEAKY BUM TIME: PM Nabanja, VP Alupo, finance Kasaija, Lugolobi & others on time boom as M7 threatens to act politically.

Museveni has announced that ministers implicated in the swindling of iron sheets meant for the Karamoja sub-region will face being axed from his cabinet once investigations and charges are through.

The President revealed this in a letter dated April 3 addressed to the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, and copied to the Vice President, cabinet ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Members of Parliament.

“.. those who took the mabaati for personal use, it’s not just a political mistake, it is theft. Those involved must both bring back the mabaati or equivalent value in money but also be handled by police under the criminal laws of the country,” the communique reads in part.

“I will also take political action once the police has concluded their investigations.”

According to Museveni, the iron sheets were meant for the Karachuna as part of government efforts to fight insecurity in the Karamoja sub-region and therefore those involved in stealing them were involved in subversive activities.

“Those ministers are therefore undermining security in exchange for cheap popularity. Under the NRA code, cheap popularity is characterized as subversive. The ministers that were, therefore, consciously involved in this must take personal responsibility, pay back the value of the mabaati they diverted and I will decide on the political action to punish this mistake,” Museveni said.

The president however says those who were “unconsciously” involved should return the mabaati if they are still available or pay a fee that carries the same value as the swindled iron sheets.

Among the government officials implicated in the scandal who now face the axe from the cabinet include the Vice President, Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among and Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija among others.

For example, the State Minister for Finance, Amos Lugolobi used the iron sheets to roof his own kraal back home in Kayunga.

Many of those implicated have since washed their hands clean of any wrongdoing saying they never initiated the deal but were only at the receiving end.

Last week, the Minister for Karamoja, Dr Mary Goretti Kitutu Kimono was remanded to Luzira prison together with her brother, Micheal Naboya Kitutu over the scandal in which over 14500 iron sheets meant for the poor in Karamoja were swindled.

Dr Kitutu returns to court tomorrow (Wednesday) for a ruling on her bail application.