Kayihura, Lukwago named in Shs20b scam
PARLIAMENT.
Businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba has accused the Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago of benefitting from about Shs20b collected illegally from livestock traders at the city abattoirs.
Mr Basajjabalaba yesterday told the Parliament’s committee on Presidential Affairs that despite having been granted a 49-year lease effective June 13, 2001 to manage the abattoirs on plots 1, 2 and 5 on Port Bell Road that host lucrative city abattoirs, the properties were taken over by a group allied to Gen Kayihura and Mr Lukwago in December 2011.
The lease had been obtained under the Basajjabalaba Hides and Skins company (BHS). Mr Basajjabalaba said the group has been collecting Shs10m daily from cattle traders at the abattoirs for the last six years, translating into more than Shs20b, money that is never remitted to Kampala Capital City Authority.
“The issue here is money. There are three people responsible: Gen Kayihura, the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and the people who are collecting the money. I have told Gen Kayihura both privately and during meetings with the President that he must be benefiiting from the Shs20b together with the Lord Mayor,” Mr Basajjabalaba said.
Correspondences from the government’s principal legal advisor, the Solicitor General, Principal Private Secretary to the President and, Ministry for the Presidency and the Ministry of Lands all blamed police for refusing to enforce a court order directed that BHS takes over the abattoirs from a group of butchers.
“We would like to advise that as stated in the court order, the police is obliged to comply and deploy police personnel at Plot 1 and 3 Port Bell Road known as city abattoir so that they can witness the execution of the interim order to reinstate BHS onto the property,” reads a letter from the Solicitor General.
However police Spokesman Felix Kaweesi who was named to have attended some of the meetings to resolve the matter, argued yesterday that the said court order is ‘not easy to enforce’ because it involves evicting hundreds of occupants of the abattoirs. He also dismissed Basajjabalaba’s claims on Gen Kayihura.
This newspaper could not get a comment from Mr Lukwago because he is currently out of the country.
Abattoirs
Mr Basajjabalaba yesterday told the Parliament’s committee on Presidential Affairs that despite having been granted a 49-year lease effective June 13, 2001 to manage the abattoirs on plots 1, 2 and 5 on Port Bell Road that host lucrative city abattoirs, the properties were taken over by a group allied to Gen Kayihura and Mr Lukwago in December 2011.
