NFA boss' wife speaks out on 900m saga
Oct 18, 2009
THE wife of the embattled National Forestry Authority boss, Damian Akankwasa, has denied stealing sh900m from their family home, saying she was framed. Accompanied by her sister and two friends, Katusiime insisted that Akankwasa fabricated the story follo
By Herbert Ssempogo
and Henry Mukasa
THE wife of the embattled National Forestry Authority boss, Damian Akankwasa, has denied stealing sh900m from their family home, saying she was framed.
In an interview yesterday, Juliet Katusiime described her husband as a stingy man.
“He loves his money so much. You cannot see where he keeps it. I have never seen that money,†Katusiime told The New Vision at the company head office in Kampala.
“I don’t know about the money. Why would a man, who holds a masters degree, keep all that money at home instead of the bank?†she asked.
However, she disclosed that her husband often returned home with large amounts of money to buy items for a hotel he is building in Naguru, a Kampala suburb.
Accompanied by her sister and two friends, Katusiime insisted that Akankwasa fabricated the story following a domestic dispute.
“Serious domestic differences developed in October 2007 between myself and Mr. Akankwasa. Initially, I thought this would be temporary until the recent public scandal now picked in the national media,†Katusiime explained, reading from a prepared statement.
“It became obvious that Mr. Akankwasa no longer wanted me in our matrimonial home in Naguru, when he begun making death threats and indeed in August this year, I was made aware of a plot my husband had made to kill me,†she wrote.
According to her, as the bickering continued, Akankwasa asked his brother-in-law, Maj. Godfrey Kyomuhendo, to take her away from their home.
Kyomuhendo was named as Katusiime’s accomplice in stealing the money. He is in Police custody.
It was after she left the home, Katusiime recollected, that Akwankwasa reported the loss of the money to Kira Road police Station.
On an alleged confession she made at the Rapid Response Unit headquarters, Katusiime said it was under duress.
Asked about the over sh100m deposited on an account at a city microfinance institution, Katusiime disclosed that sh70m belonged to her sister in US. The rest is hers.
She rubbished claims that the money belonged to her husband’s brother, George Akankwasa, a resident of Insingiro in western Uganda.
“I know George very well. I have taken care of his wife and children and indeed his home in Kabuyanda, Isingiro is a grass-thatched house,†she stated in the document addressed to President Yoweri Museveni.
George, a parish chief for Kisyoro in Kabuyanda sub-county, is said to be a local dealer in local gin (enguli) and beans.
The New vision on Friday visited the homes of the two brothers in Kabugu village and Kabuyanda town.
The brothers, commonly known as Kadugara, are said to be very close. Their houses are next to each other. Recently, George’s first wife shifted from her house to live in Damian’s house.
Residents say George spends most of the time in his new home in Kabuyanda town. George reportedly has some commercial buildings in Kabuyanda and Kabingo town council.
Meanwhile, the National Forestry Authority board on Friday interrogated Akankwasa over the saga.
The board, sources said, wanted to know the circumstances surrounding the incident. The source said Akankwasa explained that the money belonged to his relatives.
When contacted, the board chairman, Baguma Isoke, said the NFA perceived the matter as domestic. In his view, the money was not stolen from the forestry authority.
“If that dime had been ours we would have been the first to set an alarm,†Baguma-Isoke said.
On whether the board would implement the President’s directive to suspend Akankwasa, Baguma-Isoke said the board was not the appointing authority of the executive director.
Akankwasa, however, denied that the meeting had anything to do with the sh900m.
“That (meeting) had nothing to do with what has been reported in the press. We were discussing management issues.â€
Asked about the presidential directive to have him suspended and probed, Akankwasa said he was not aware of it and would report to office today.
The director of natural forests, Hudson Andrua, has been the acting edirector since Akankwasa has been on leave.
Today, the environment minister is expected to issue a press statement on the matter.
Akankwasa’s lawyers over the weekend issued a statement explaining that the money belonged to his brothers George and John Bagambe and their business associates.
Additional reporting by Fred Turyakira
and Henry Mukasa
THE wife of the embattled National Forestry Authority boss, Damian Akankwasa, has denied stealing sh900m from their family home, saying she was framed.
In an interview yesterday, Juliet Katusiime described her husband as a stingy man.
“He loves his money so much. You cannot see where he keeps it. I have never seen that money,†Katusiime told The New Vision at the company head office in Kampala.
“I don’t know about the money. Why would a man, who holds a masters degree, keep all that money at home instead of the bank?†she asked.
However, she disclosed that her husband often returned home with large amounts of money to buy items for a hotel he is building in Naguru, a Kampala suburb.
Accompanied by her sister and two friends, Katusiime insisted that Akankwasa fabricated the story following a domestic dispute.
“Serious domestic differences developed in October 2007 between myself and Mr. Akankwasa. Initially, I thought this would be temporary until the recent public scandal now picked in the national media,†Katusiime explained, reading from a prepared statement.
“It became obvious that Mr. Akankwasa no longer wanted me in our matrimonial home in Naguru, when he begun making death threats and indeed in August this year, I was made aware of a plot my husband had made to kill me,†she wrote.
According to her, as the bickering continued, Akankwasa asked his brother-in-law, Maj. Godfrey Kyomuhendo, to take her away from their home.
Kyomuhendo was named as Katusiime’s accomplice in stealing the money. He is in Police custody.
It was after she left the home, Katusiime recollected, that Akwankwasa reported the loss of the money to Kira Road police Station.
On an alleged confession she made at the Rapid Response Unit headquarters, Katusiime said it was under duress.
Asked about the over sh100m deposited on an account at a city microfinance institution, Katusiime disclosed that sh70m belonged to her sister in US. The rest is hers.
She rubbished claims that the money belonged to her husband’s brother, George Akankwasa, a resident of Insingiro in western Uganda.
“I know George very well. I have taken care of his wife and children and indeed his home in Kabuyanda, Isingiro is a grass-thatched house,†she stated in the document addressed to President Yoweri Museveni.
George, a parish chief for Kisyoro in Kabuyanda sub-county, is said to be a local dealer in local gin (enguli) and beans.
The New vision on Friday visited the homes of the two brothers in Kabugu village and Kabuyanda town.
The brothers, commonly known as Kadugara, are said to be very close. Their houses are next to each other. Recently, George’s first wife shifted from her house to live in Damian’s house.
Residents say George spends most of the time in his new home in Kabuyanda town. George reportedly has some commercial buildings in Kabuyanda and Kabingo town council.
Meanwhile, the National Forestry Authority board on Friday interrogated Akankwasa over the saga.
The board, sources said, wanted to know the circumstances surrounding the incident. The source said Akankwasa explained that the money belonged to his relatives.
When contacted, the board chairman, Baguma Isoke, said the NFA perceived the matter as domestic. In his view, the money was not stolen from the forestry authority.
“If that dime had been ours we would have been the first to set an alarm,†Baguma-Isoke said.
On whether the board would implement the President’s directive to suspend Akankwasa, Baguma-Isoke said the board was not the appointing authority of the executive director.
Akankwasa, however, denied that the meeting had anything to do with the sh900m.
“That (meeting) had nothing to do with what has been reported in the press. We were discussing management issues.â€
Asked about the presidential directive to have him suspended and probed, Akankwasa said he was not aware of it and would report to office today.
The director of natural forests, Hudson Andrua, has been the acting edirector since Akankwasa has been on leave.
Today, the environment minister is expected to issue a press statement on the matter.
Akankwasa’s lawyers over the weekend issued a statement explaining that the money belonged to his brothers George and John Bagambe and their business associates.
Additional reporting by Fred Turyakira