District boss detained over Shs3.5million bribe from job seeker

Tom Bamulanzeki who accuses Mr Muyinda of getting a bribe from him

JINJA- The chairman of Bugiri District Service Commission has been detained at Jinja Central Police Station for allegedly soliciting a Shs3.5 million bribe from a clinical officer attached to Buwunga Health Centre III in Namalera Village, Buwunga Sub-county, Bugiri District.

Mr Moses Muyinda, 57, a resident of Mukono, was on Tuesday jailed after Mr Tom Bamulanzeki Matende, 40, a resident of Nakanyonyi Village, Bugembe Town Council in Jinja District, alleged that he fraudulently obtained the money to influence his application for a job as a senior clinical officer.

The job was internally advertised by the Commission in December 2017.

Among the requirements, applicants were supposed to have served as clinical officers for a minimum of three years.

“I have served for eight years. So, I applied. I was shortlisted and invited for interviews on March 6. However, on January 30, Mr Muyinda called me saying each applicant was required to pay Shs3.5 million but I told him I didn’t have money, Mr Bamulanzeki said. “Nonetheless, on January 31, he again called asking how much money I could offer and I responded that I had Shs2,500,000.”

He added: “ He [Muyinda] told me to meet him at some office at Busoga University; formerly Bugiri High School [his school] and told me to handover the money. I excused myself to go and withdraw it from the Bank but he said he would leave for Mukono and instructed me to deposit it on his Airtel line (0705929666), which I did.”

Daily Monitor has seen a confirmation that on January 30, Mr Bamulanzeki withdrew Shs1, 000,000 from Tropical Bank, Jinja Branch using his ATM and on January 31, he withdrew an additional Shs1, 600,000 from the Banking Hall of the same Bank.

Additional confirmation suggests that Mr Muyinda’s Airtel Money account was on January 31 credited with Shs2, 550, 000 by a Mobile Money outlet on Main Street in Jinja.

Mr Bamulanzeki adds that on the day the interviews were conducted, the panel was chaired by Mr Muyinda.
He alleges that Mr Muyinda frustrated him by asking for a Diploma certificate which was not among the requirements for the job.
He said the panel allowed him ‘a couple of hours’ to go and pick the transcript.

“In the interest of satisfying one of their requirements, I hired a Boda Boda at Shs60,000 from Bugiri to Mbale School of Nursing and Midwifery where I studied, returned in time but found the interview panel members gone,” he said.

He said when he called Mr Muyinda, he was told to wait for the next opportunity since they were planning to advertise another post.

Mr Muyinda confirmed receiving Shs2,550,000 on his Airtel Money account but insists the money was erroneously sent to him by Mobile Money agent “out there whom I am waiting to come and claim it.”

“Tom (Bamulanzeki) hasn’t sent me any money. It is true I received Shs2, 550,000 million; but it was from a Mobile Money agent whom I don’t know,” Mr Muyinda said in a telephone interview with Daily Monitor.

Mr Bamulanzeki filed a case against Mr Muyinda at Bugiri Central Police Station which was recorded under file SD52/06/03/2018 vide obtaining money by false pretence, but claimed officers at the station are frustrating him.

He then opened a counter case at Jinja Central Police Station and later sought the services of Legal Aid Project of the Uganda Law Society who served Mr Muyinda with a notice of intention to sue on March 9.

The Investigating Officer at Jinja Central Police Station, a one Chemutai, declined to comment, requesting to do so at a later stage of the investigation.

Mr Bamulanzeki says he not only wants a refund of his money, but wants to “loudly sound an anti-corruption trumpet against the District Service Commission.”

“I want my money back. Corruption is rife in this Commission with people being promoted only after a year in service and in total disregard of those who have served for over ten years,” he says.
For this particular post, Mr Bamulanzeki was shortlisted with Mr Frank Sserunkuma, who took it, having served for two years and eight months.
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