Mutale Named In Bus Park Wrangle

PRESIDENTIAL aides Maj. Kakooza Mutale and Fox Odoi were yesterday named as some of the highly placed people who influenced the award of the bus park tender to UBOA Investments Ltd, reports Okello Jabweli. Associated Bus Owners Uganda Ltd (ABOL) members striked a fortnight ago protesting Kampala City Council’s (KCC) alleged fraudulent award of a tender for the re-development of the Baganda bus park terminal to UBOA Investments Ltd. ABOL chairman Sam Otada yesterday told the committee chaired by John Byabagambi (Ibanda South), that Mutale, the Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs, and Fox Odio, a legal assistant to the President, had separately written to KCC urging it to expeditiously award the tender.In one of the letters, Mutale allegedly said State House would inject US$4-5m into the project. Otada, flanked by his vice-chairman and Ibanda North MP, Capt. Guma Gumikiriza, accused Caesar Tokoma, Haji Jjunju and Geofrey Nangumya of using their executive positions in UBOA, the original bus owners company, to float a ‘’briefcase’ company, UBOA Investments. Odoi admitted writing to KCC, saying his intervention arouse out of the need to turn the bus park from a stone-age facility to a modern bus terminal.He said he does not owe anybody an apology for asking KCC to develop the terminal.Otada said, “The KCC tender board then chaired by Hajji Faizal Kasujja, chose to award the tender to this three-months-old company that never had any offices, books of accounts or anything. Hajji Kasujja had a 10% stake in the company he awarded the contract.”Ends