By Sarah Mukasa
Mbarara
The special presidential Assistant in charge of General Duties, Phionah Barungi has been tasked to investigate and arrest leaders and government collaborators in the over 9 billion shillings theft.
The theft which struck Rwampara Ranching Cooperative society where even president Yoweri Museveni is a member was allegedly orchestrated by some of the Cooperative leadership, the board and Government officials.
Barungi the special presidential Assistant on general duties was with her assistant Dan Mugarura, in the Western Region this week at Rwampara distict on a fact-finding meeting after some members of the cooperative society petitioned her office to investigate the financial losses and mismanagement surrounding the cooperative.
This followed a government disbursement of about nine billion to compensate members but was stolen, misused of shared illegally by people who were supposed to manage it.
Addressing members, Barungi vowed to investigate the cooperative society together with the mandatory investigating offices including police, IGG and State House Anti Corruption Unit among others.
She said after getting a full report of the forgeries and corruption engulfed in the cooperative society she will return to locus and act decisively.
She said, had smelt a rat when the interim chairman, Reverend Asaph K. Kahanguzi who initially had asked her office to intervene in the financial losses at the cooperative changed mind and wanted to stop the investigations indicating that he could have been part of the mess.
Barungi warned that whoever participated in any wrong doing will be brought to book before the cooperative is guided to return to normal operations.
" Whoever in involved will.answer. They cannot be allowed to just walk free. This cooperative is benefiting many members and you must not forget that His Excellence President Yoweri Museveni is a member. Justice must be served here every one who was involved in corruption and theft will answer " she said.
Initially Barungi said she cannot cover up on corruption saying the meeting which flopped earlier on allegations that she had stopped it her self was regrettable because it would have been useful.
Some detractors deceived security that I had stopped that meeting. I wouldn't do it because any meeting to reduce tension and bring about reasonable progress would be very important. That's why am finally here on ground but some one must have used my name wrongly and without my knowledge " she said.
The Deputy RDC Rwampara m Jackline Arisiima read a report regarding Rwampara Ranching Cooperative Society Limited that was registered on 20th January 1969 and allocated ten (10) square miles of land in (traditional) Nyabushozi area by then, now Kiruhura during the policy promotion of ranches by the government.
It had a proximately 3,000 heads of cattle and livestock on the farm and its members were drawn from the different areas within greater Ankole that is to say Ntungamo, Rugando, Ndeija, Rukoni, Ruhama, Bugamba, Rweikyiniro, Nyakayojo and Itojo.
The cooperative society thrived throughout the 1970s to 1980s in spite of the various insurgency during that time in greater Ankole region and the country at large.
But in 1993, the government of Uganda embarked on ranch restructuring program which involved many activities including the reduction of land acreage owned by many ranchers in the area.
With noncompensation to the ranch owners at the time,the racnh's ten square miles were reduced to only six forcing a team of individual and parties initiated legal proceedings against the government of Uganda for forceful acquisition of their land and failure to compensated the required equivalent amount in 2013.
On 11th February 2021 court ruled in favor of Rwampara Ranch and issued a decree that the affected persons should be compensated with immediate effect of which the government began the compensation processes.
In the FY 2023/2024, the government set a side funds for ranches compensation to the various affected parties amongst which is Rwampara Ranching Cooperative society limited.
This was being handled directly by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic development and Ministry of Lands, Housing and urban development only to be learnt by the office of registrar of cooperatives through the press.
On the 2nd July 2024, the government disbursed Nine billion, six hundred sixty-two million five hundred eighty-six thousand (UGX 9,662,586,000 /=) to Rwampara Ranching Cooperative society limited as partial compensation for the four-square miles of land that had been allocated to the squatters after the National Resistance Army rising to power in 1986.
Then shortly, after payments had been remitted to Rwampara Ranching Cooperative society limited account, the supposed beneficiaries began to complain and wrote a petition to the office of Permanent secretary while highlighting the following issues; That substantial portion of funds were misappropriated by the board.
Specifically, that only 140 out of 390 members received payments each amounting to 30,000,000/= while the rest of the funds were diverted to legal fees, board allowances, and unauthorized asset sales including 300 heads of cattle and two commercial building in Mbarara city went un accounted for.
Failure by the board to provide accountability of (livestock, land, Building, equipment, vehicles and funds received over that period).
Abuse of funds by handful members of the board through arbitrary allocation of 15% percent funds to themselves. Unclear third-party obligation on the cooperative society, which included a 10% payment of funds to a group of members who had allegedly entered into an MOU with the cooperative society.
All these acts of fraud, corruption, mismanagement and theft are awaiting investigations and Ms Barungi promised a standard work so that Rwampara Ranching Cooperative society limited returns to normal operations soon.
Andrew Besigye Mubona, the Vice chairperson of the selected committee of the society investigating the mismanaging of these funds, while giving his report, appealed to Barungi to do through invesigations .
Besigye said, in 2024, they had a general meeting, where Reverand Kahanguzi was selected as the chairperson of the committee given a mandate to investigate all the mess in a reference of 3 months. On their way, Reverand Kahanguzi wanted to divert the committee and were hesitant which Kahanguzi to peption registrar of Cooperatives in the area. Through writing the registrar ordered us to continue investigating with or without Reverand Kahanguzi.
Later Reverand Kahanguzi was told to present his minority report then my team had a majority report but had never had chance to present it to members because our meetings are disorganized by the Chairperson
Reverand Kahanguzi didn’t attend the meeting, and when reached on phone said, those are people trying to tannish his name by implicating him as a thief . He added that was initially arrested and imprisoned that gave a chance to thieves who went on and withdrew all the money from the account , later was realised and found empty accounts . He vowed to give more information because he has all the evidence.
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