Crime preventers bag Shs2b police food deal

KAMPALA. The Inspector General of Government and the procurement authority are investigating an award of a Shs2b food supply contract to a crime preventers’ group under the cover of the Police Exodus Savings and Credit Society.
Mr Uthman Segawa, the director of investigations at Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA), yesterday confirmed the investigations. “We received the complaints on the allegation of awarding the contract to Exodus Sacco. The office of the IGG has also written to us over the same matter…. ,” Mr Segawa said.
Exodus Sacco is a savings and credit association owned by police officers. In September 2015, the Sacco liaised with the Blaise Kamugisha-led National Crime Preventers Forum to provide catering services to the Police Force. Both ploughed Shs400m profit from services rendered during the general election alone, according to the Exodus Sacco report.
According to documents Daily Monitor has seen, more than 738 companies tendered for the supply of food to police, but the contract was given to Exodus Sacco. The companies petitioned the IGG and PPDA demanding a halt of the business arrangement.
“We have reliably learnt that police have awarded Shs2b contract and are planning to award a Shs1b contract to some of our members. To our surprise, the police has continued to pay the cooks, and buy raw food yet the Exodus contract is to serve officers ready food,” one of the petitioners, who preferred anonymity, said.
The petitioners said at the time Exodus Sacco was awarded a contract, it lacked a Payment Registration Number and a Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) from Uganda Revenue Authority yet they are crucial bidding documents.
Mr Godfrey Bangirana, the police director of logistics and engineering, when contacted, denied that crime preventers are part of police food suppliers. “I am not aware about the crime preventers. What I know [is] Exodus supplies food to the police,” Mr Bangirana said. He declined to talk about how Exodus Sacco won the contract. Exodus Sacco chairman, Mr Henry Kalulu, too was unwilling to talk about the issue.

Deal affecting SACCO

Since September 2015 when the Exodus Sacco and crime preventers were given contracts to supply food to the police, police officers saving in the Exodus Sacco have been complaining about the administration’s failure to give them loans or allow them to withdraw their savings.

[email protected]