UPC sues Obote foundation
Mar 15, 2007
THE Uganda People’s Congress yesterday sued the Milton Obote Foundation over the ownership and mismanagement of Uganda House.
By Geresom Musamali
THE Uganda People’s Congress yesterday sued the Milton Obote Foundation over the ownership and mismanagement of Uganda House.
The foundation has been jointly sued with the Uganda Press Trust and the Mbale-based Ugationers Ltd.
The trust used to publish the party’s newspaper, The People, while Ugationers used to manufacture stationery. The two bodies, which ceased operations in 1990s, are subsidiaries of the foundation.
The party is seeking to be declared an equitable owner of Uganda House, as well as all other properties held under foundation’s subsidiaries.
Some of the properties include two buildings in Industrial Area in Kampala. Through Ntende, Owor & Co. Advocates, the party wants an accountability for the properties’ proceeds over the last 22 years.
It is also seeking a permanent injunction restraining the respondents from removing caveats the party put on the properties late last year. The foundation is also accused of threatening to evict the party from Uganda House.
Prof. Ssenteza Kajubi (Democratic Party) and education state minister Gabriel Opio (NRM) are members of the foundation.
But the lawyers claim: “It was the understanding and practice that members, governors and trustees of MOF would all be members of UPC to ensure that party interests and assets would be safe-guarded.â€
The foundation, which is the party’s business wing, was set up in 1963.
Sam Odaka, a former minister in the Obote I regime, has been managing it for the last 27 years.
The party president, Miria Obote, is the widow of the party leader Milton Obote.
Miria and Odaka split last year when her son, Jimmy Akena (Lira Municipality MP), demanded to be offered membership of the foundation. But Odaka insisted that Akena waits until he is invited.
THE Uganda People’s Congress yesterday sued the Milton Obote Foundation over the ownership and mismanagement of Uganda House.
The foundation has been jointly sued with the Uganda Press Trust and the Mbale-based Ugationers Ltd.
The trust used to publish the party’s newspaper, The People, while Ugationers used to manufacture stationery. The two bodies, which ceased operations in 1990s, are subsidiaries of the foundation.
The party is seeking to be declared an equitable owner of Uganda House, as well as all other properties held under foundation’s subsidiaries.
Some of the properties include two buildings in Industrial Area in Kampala. Through Ntende, Owor & Co. Advocates, the party wants an accountability for the properties’ proceeds over the last 22 years.
It is also seeking a permanent injunction restraining the respondents from removing caveats the party put on the properties late last year. The foundation is also accused of threatening to evict the party from Uganda House.
Prof. Ssenteza Kajubi (Democratic Party) and education state minister Gabriel Opio (NRM) are members of the foundation.
But the lawyers claim: “It was the understanding and practice that members, governors and trustees of MOF would all be members of UPC to ensure that party interests and assets would be safe-guarded.â€
The foundation, which is the party’s business wing, was set up in 1963.
Sam Odaka, a former minister in the Obote I regime, has been managing it for the last 27 years.
The party president, Miria Obote, is the widow of the party leader Milton Obote.
Miria and Odaka split last year when her son, Jimmy Akena (Lira Municipality MP), demanded to be offered membership of the foundation. But Odaka insisted that Akena waits until he is invited.