Publication date: Thursday, 5th November, 2009
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Vice President Bukenya asked to explain role, while it has been found that Kutesa had interests in Europcar |
By Milton Olupot
and Mary Karugaba
A meeting of the public accounts committee probing the CHOGM expenditure yesterday ended prematurely after MPs clashed over evidence about the ownership of the companies that supplied the executive cars for the summit.
Committee chairman Nandala Mafabi was forced to end the proceedings when the meeting went out of control.
Some MPs questioned the distribution of documents implicating foreign minister Sam Kutesa.
The permanent secretary of the works ministry, Charles Muganzi, and other ministry officials had endured over three hours of grilling when Albert Oduman (FDC) raised the issue of ownership of Motorcare, the company that won the tender for the botched deal.
According to a draft management letter to Muganzi, Motorcare, a Danish company, was authorised by Europcar to handle the BMW car deal in Uganda.
The document also showed that Kutesa owns majority shares in SECI, a company that had 20% shares in Europcar. SECI later transferred its shares to city businessman Robert Kabonero.
Kutesa was the vice-chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee of CHOGM, which in May 2007 halted the competitive bidding process and decided on direct procurement from the representatives of BMW cars in Uganda.
When Oduman raised the issue of conflict of interest on the part of the minister and as Mafabi instructed CID attached to the committee to take note of the matter, Frank Tumwebaze (NRM) called for a point of procedure. He demanded to know the source of the document and why he had not been given a copy.
“When documents are distributed, they should be given to everybody. I don’t have a copy of this document. Why are we raising issues from a document that we have not been given?”
Alex Byarugaba (NRM) and Florence Kashaka (NRM) joined the protest, demanding to know why “documents were being distributed selectively”.
The majority of the committee members, however, shut them down, saying the document had been given to all members.
Mafabi explained that the document had been distributed to all members and that MPs had all along been referring to it. But his arguments fell on deaf ears as the meeting turned rowdy.
Theodore Ssekikuubo (NRM) shouted that the three MPs had been compromised. “Why do you reject a document when it comes to revealing the people who were involved in the scam, yet you have been using other documents brought before the committee by members?” he asked.
When Mafabi sensed that the meeting was getting out of control and members disregarded his pleas for order, he adjourned, announcing: “Mr. accounting officer, we shall meet again to conclude on this issue. You will be informed of the date.”
But this did not calm down the MPs. Henry Banyenzaki (NRM) charged at Tumwebaze, shouting: “These members are stupid!” This prompted Tumwebaze to dash to where Mafabi was, complaining: “Chairman, your members are calling others stupid.”
Muganzi and his team of over 20 ministry officials looked on in amazement as the honourable members headed for each others’ neck. The anti-graft Police chief and his team stood in the corner of the conference hall, observing quietly.
The fracas only stopped when Mafabi led Tumwebaze out of the room. Muganzi had earlier admitted that the procurement process was flawed but he insisted it was due to the emergency situation. He also said his hands were tied because he could not resist orders from the Vice-President, Gilbert Bukenya, who chaired the Cabinet sub-committee on CHOGM.
When MPs said over euro 4m (sh11b) could have been lost in the leasing deal, Muganzi conceded it was not the best option.
Members were surprised to learn that Motorcare, the sole company selected to supply the cars, did not have a valid trading license at the time.
But Muganzi dismissed it as a minor technicality.
The committee agreed that the sub-committee, chaired by Bukenya and deputised by Kutesa, be summoned to defend themselves against allegations that they breached the procurement laws to suit their interests.
Other members of the CHOGM-committee are works minister John Nasasira, former finance minister Ezra Suruma, former information minister Kirunda Kivejinja and former local government minister Kahinda Otafiire.
“All the procurement procedures were put aside on the directive of the Vice-President,” Mafabi said.
“We want to find out from them what PPDA procedures they were following.” Muganza welcomed the decision to summon the VP and the ministers.
“That would be a very lovely day for me to sit back and listen. After all the torture I am going through, I would want to sit back and see them deny,” he said.
This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/700208
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