Rowing coach Kasibante cries foul over arrest

Kampala.

Green Belt Rowing Club coach, Swale Kasibante, said he was wrongfully arrested for theft in an effort by Uganda Rowing Federation (URF) to cover up complaints from athletes and coaches over unpaid fees for a residential camp.

Kasibante was arrested on May 18 and briefly detained at Kitintale Police Station where URF had reported last month that he stole eight oars and two ergometers. He secured bond the same day and insists he was framed.

Kasibante’s troubles started in September last year when URF opened a national team training camp at his site in Luzira. He, alongside two assistants, was put in charge of the camp that had seven rowers in early preparations for next year’s Olympics.

According to Kasibante, the rowers were each entitled to Shs1m in allowances per month. He said URF promised to pay him $500 (Shs1.5m) for his work per month.

URF also had to meet the athletes’ daily accommodation (Shs40,000 per head) and meals (Shs35,000 each) expenses at the camp.
Within seven weeks of training, three rowers; Gerald Semambo, Alfred Okello and Suzan Nabukenya, traveled to Algeria for the Africa Championships from where they returned to the camp until December 2014 when the whole team broke off for the festive period.

Before they left, Kasibante asked URF to pay the athletes’ wages. This didn’t go down well with the federation, according to the coach.

He says he also lent URF Euros380 (about Shs1.3m), through his club chairman Charles Batambuze, to pay for the 2014 affiliation fees. In return, he says, URF promised that he would host the camp if his site was deemed up to standard.

“The camp continued with four rowers and my assistants when we were in Algeria,” Kasibante, who fell sick and was admitted in Algeria and on his return - at Nsambya Hospital, said in an interview on Thursday.

“… in December, the federation paid the athletes only Shs300,000. My assistant Richard Kabuye was paid Shs400,000 although records at Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) show he got Shs1.2m in two equal installments,” Kasibante, who says he doesn’t trust UOC and its chairman William Blick at all, shares. Blick told us he would comment about the saga and Kasibante’s mistrust in him on Monday.

“URF took the equipment and created another camp nearby but in a different house from where I picked the two ergometers and eight oars and took them back to my site because they were yet to compensate me. “I then got in touch with Solomon Muwonge last month and I wrote to National Council of Sports (on April 28) to intervene so that we can move the equipment to the official URF rowing centre in Garuga.

I realized that since this is an Olympic qualification year, holding the equipment will hinder preparations,” Kasibante continues. The move was granted by NCS general secretary, Jasper Aligawesa and Muwonge confirmed on May 4 he had received the equipment. Muwonge is the chairman of Nalubaale Water Sports Club and a proprietor of Lake Resort, Garuga.

It was agreed that URF pays their dues to Kasibante, Muwonge and the athletes so that they could take back the confiscated equipment.
However, URF reported to police on April 29 under case file number KCLO 087/2015.

“They sent a letter through their lawyers Matovu & Matovu Advocates where they claimed we should pay Shs1.6m which we dully did. However, we didn’t get that equipment so we contacted the police again,” URF general secretary, Fharuk Baluku, told Sunday Monitor.

Muwonge maintains the Shs1.6m was the money owed to him by another coach, Rodrick Muhumuza. Coach Muhumuza admitted he had borrowed the money. After Kasibante secured bond on the intervention of Muwonge as a surety, the matter was referred to Jinja Road Police Station.

Kasibante has since reported to the Jinja Road Police twice for more quizzing (May 19 and 21).
“My concerns are mostly about the athletes especially Betty (Nabifo) because she has always been sidelined. She never got any money even when they gave the rest Shs300,000,” Kasibante said. “The athletes see me as their leader since I’m the coach so I will push for their wages even if it means going to court.”

Last year, 12 athletes and coaches used personal funds worth $1273 (Shs3,819,000) to facilitate their rowing tours abroad. They purchased air tickets, acquired visas and travel insurance but didn’t travel because of misunderstandings between them and URF. After the trips flopped, they wrote to world rowing body, Fisa, requwsting for compesation.

“Fisa wired $1,305 (Shs3.915m) to the URF account at Centenary Bank on March 5 but the rowers have never received their dues. Only Rodrick has refunded the Shs1.6m he borrowed from me,” Muwonge claims.

No money for athletes
However, Baluku maintains the federation doesn’t owe anyone any money and that the athletes were not supposed to be paid any specific amount of money.

“We have paid the athletes in camp through their manager Batambuze and refunded all monies to the 12, bar Gerald who is currently training in USA. We refunded this money ((Shs1.6m), which Muwonge stated in his letter to us, through Matovu & Matovu Advocates’ Emmanuel Kakenga. The athletes were only supposed to get money for transport and some allowances, it wasn’t mandatory,” Baluku said.

“As for Kasibante, he is trying to create news where there is none. He has the federation’s equipment and he is only writing to Muwonge yet he should involve URF. “The euros he is talking about, he should consult Batambuze because there is no written document between him and URF relating to this,” Baluku added. The athletes maintain they have never received any money. Fisa have asked the warring parties to solve their issues under the guidance of UOC.

[email protected]