IGG orders Otafiire to explain Naguru

By Barbara Among and Felix Osike

THE Inspector General of Government (IGG), Justice Faith Mwondha, has given local government minister Kahinda Otafiire an ultimatum to explain why he misled the President and the Cabinet on the redevelopment of Naguru and Nakawa estates.

The deadline expired at 5:00pm yesterday. In a letter of June 20, the IGG also asked Otafiire to explain why he should not be disciplined by the President.

“This is to ask you to show cause to the inspectorate of government why this office should not recommend to the appointing authority to consider taking disciplinary action against you for misadvising him and the Government.”

However, by press time it was not clear if Otafiire had responded. On Tuesday, he accused Mwondha of frustrating government projects and vowed to go ahead to evict the tenants to pave way for the $300m (sh510b) project.

Tenants who failed to leave by June 12, he said, would be forced out.

The 900 families in Nakawa and another 7,000 in Naguru last December asked the IGG to intervene, citing fraud in the manner the project was being handled. They also asked the Government to provide alternative accommodation before they would leave.

Consequently, the IGG stopped the eviction pending a thorough investigation.

However, Otafiire described her action as sabotage of government projects and accused her of exceeding her authority.

In a reaction yesterday, the IGG said she was fighting for the majority whose rights were being endangered by abuse of law. Otafiire, she argued, was acting illegally.

“Who is he? The country has a duly elected president and Otafiire is not a head of state. Everybody must submit to the rule of law.”

The IGG said a meeting chaired by the President on December 24, 2003, resolved to keep 25 acres of land for constructing low-cost high-rise flats for the sitting tenants before they would leave.

“However, you Hon. Kahinda Otafiire indicated that the issues raised by the President have since been addressed whereas not,” the IGG said.

It was wrong, she added, for Otafiire to threaten tenants with eviction before the flats were constructed. Moreover, the agreement with the developer did not provide for the flats, Mwondha noted.

“You misadvised the Cabinet when you indicated that the issues and concerns of the President were addressed when you were fully aware that no single flat had been constructed and completed.”

In addition, the IGG said, Otafiire also deliberately mis-represented another directive of the President for the tenants to vacate the 10 acres of land allocated to the Islamic University In Uganda, the six acres to CTM Uganda, the two to the national library and six acres to William Nkemba. The IGG accused Otafiire of mis-advising the President that her office had put a caveat on this particular land.

Otafiire, the IGG said, was using this directive to unfairly evict other tenants from the rest of the estate.

“This office is not aware of any other directive that was issued to you by the President to evict the tenants from the remaining land.”

IGG now wants the deal cancelled and officials of the local government ministry contracts committee be held responsible.

The ministry, the IGG said, awarded the project to the UK-based company, Opec Prime properties, although it did not bid.

“The irregularities are enormous. The people we shall find culpable will be given an opportunity to show cause why severe disciplinary action should not be taken against them.”

Her office, she added, was not against the redevelopment of Nakawa. “We are questioning the procurement of the private developer which was really flawed.”

She urged Otafiire to adhere to the law.

“He should not act as if it’s survival for the fittest. It is not the law of the jungle anymore. He should act in a civilised manner and respect this institution.”