Key ministers cited in bicycle scandal

Local Government Minister Adolf Mwesige has been named in bicycle scam after it emerged that he wrote to the former Finance Minister Syda Bbumba requesting for Shs18 billion to procure bicycles for local councils ahead of the 2011 general elections.

Former minister in-charge of the Presidency Beatrice Wabudeya also wrote to Mr Mwesige on May 11, 2011 to make a provision for the procurement of the bicycles quoting a directive from President Museveni that bicycles in question be availed to L1 chairpersons to facilitate their work of mobilisation.

While it’s not yet clear whether Ms Bbumba provided the Shs18 billion, even before Ms Wabudeya communicated President’s instructions, Mr Mwesige in his letter dated April 12, 2010 wrote to Finance, saying: “The purpose of this letter, therefore is to request you consider providing a supplementary budget of Shs18 billion to the Ministry for procurement of bicycles for chairpersons of parish/ward and village/cell councils. We estimate the activity will take 4-5 months to accomplish. My technical team at the Ministry is on-standby to provide detailed information as my be required.”

Mr Mwesige made clear to Ms Bbumba that him and his “colleague” were under increasing pressure to provide some orm of transport (bicycles) to parish and village councils. He added: “It’s for this reason that I am seeking your intervention on the matter sooner rather than later.”

He said it was crucial that the deal is expedited to avoid being misunderstood given that “we have an election year ahead of us”. The minister, however, reiterated that the decision to procure bicycles arose from a directive from the President.

On Wednesday, the Leader of Opposition, Mr Nandala Mafabi, tabled another letter (loose minute) dated January 17, 2011, from the Permanent Secretary, Mr Kashaka Muhanguzi, to the Principal Accountant Henry Bamutura in which the PS said: “…the supply of bicycles for which the LC was being applied was politically sensitive and H.E the President had committed himself to timeless delivery….”. Both men have since been interdicted after they were implicated in the scam by the Parliament Committee which investigated this scandal.

In a strong-worded loose minute, Mr Kashaka added: “There is no doubt in my mind at all that your conduct was suspect during the process. You, no doubt knew the pressure we were subjected to by the political leadership to deliver the bicycles and the disappointment that this has caused, thanks to your “dilly-dallying.”

Realising that there was no mention of political pressure exerted on technocrats in the procurement of 70,000 bicycles which were never delivered, in the committee report, Mr Mafabi accused the committee chairperson, Ms Florence Kintu (Kalungu), of collusion, a claim she denied. Ms Kintu said the committee received the letter on political pressure but was found unnecessary to the investigation.

“Ministers were involved in this bicycle scam and Local Government Minister Adolf Mwesige is one of them. I have the PPDA report mentioning his name and I have letters he wrote requesting for supplementary funding to handle the procurement process as if he was a permanent secretary,” Mr Mafabi said.

ymugerwa@ug.nationmedia.com