Museveni‘s donation to tumor patient swindled

Jinja - Police in Jinja are investigating how Shs20 million, which is part of the Shs110 million that President Yoweri Museven donated to a Jinja-based journalist Ms Brenda Gimbo for an operation in India has been swindled.

Ms Gimbo has a brain tumor.

The Deputy Kiira Regional Police spokesperson Onesmus Mwesigwa said investigations have started adding that they have recorded statements from Ms Gimbo and her husband.

 “We have intervened in this case after a public outcry and we have opened a file to investigate how much the money was swindled,’’ Mr Mwesigwa said.

He said a team of police experts from the Economic Crimes Unit is interested in the CCTV footage at the Bank of Africa branch in Jinja and the account’s print out.

  Jinja Resident District Commissioner John Rex Aachilla said he has learnt that a group of politicians in Jinja and a State House official are behind the scam.

“I have got information that the money was shared by political leaders in Jinja and a State House official as a kickback because they worked hard to lobby for the money,” Mr Aachilla said.

How Gimbo received the money from president

Ms Gimbo received the Shs110 million from the President Museveni after a request by Busoga Journalists Association two days before he presided over the 54th independence celebrations in Luuka District.

 The October 7 letter was handed to the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, who delivered it to the President in Luuka.

Mr Museveni directed the State House comptroller Ms Ruth Nakyobe, to release the money to Ms Gimbo.

On October 18, the money was wired to the Save Brenda Bukenya Account whose signatories are her husband, Mr Stanley Bukenya, her sister-in- law Ms Aidah Naigaga and the former Kagoma County parliamentary aspirant Dr Thomas Butuwa Lusala. The money was withdrawn on Wednesday last week.

How the Shs20 million was deduced

In an interview with Daily Monitor, Ms Gimbo said “she was forced to give” a kickback of Shs40 million but negotiated with the State House ‘lobbyists’ who accepted to take Shs20 million.

She said the people who demanded for the inducement even threatened to harm her four children.

“I asked for 110 million shillings and I received it.  I thank the President for the support and others who contributed. But the bad thing is that Shs20 million has been chopped off and the balance is not enough to cater for the budget,” Ms Gimbo said. “But because of the pain I'm enduring and my life is deteriorating, I decided to give them the money to contain their pressure”.

Mr Stanely Bukenya said they received President Museveni’s pledge of Shs110 million “with conditions that the total must be chopped off but in secrecy”.

Ms Naigaga, said she handed over the money to Jinja District NRM vice chairperson Mr Majidu Dhikusooka immediately after withdrawing it from Bank of Africa.

She said Mr Solomon Baleke, the Wankule Sub- county NRM chairperson who is also a journalist attached to Radio Simba and The Observer was nearby.

Mr Baleke is also the chairman of Busoga Journalists Association, the group that wrote to President Museveni to highlight Ms Gimbo’s plight.

“I thought all of us were entering the bank. But when we [Ms Naigaga and Mr Dhikusooka] entered, Mr  Baleke remained outside,” Ms Naigaga said.

Ms Naigaga says she wrote a Shs20 million cheque that was cashed to Mr Stanley Bukenya after Mr Dhikusooka advised them not to write it in his name.

“We both signed the cheque [Bukenya and Aidah] which was cashed. Mr Dhikusooka declined to pick the money from us inside the bank and walked out. I followed him and handed him an envelop that contained Shs20 million outside the bank,” she said.

Ms Naigaga said Mr Dhikusooka told her that the money was a kickback for a one Kembabazi, a State House official.

Dr Batuwa another signatory said the proposal of taking a kickback to State House was raised during a meeting at 2 Friends Hotel in Jinja on Tuesday last week.

 “I opposed the proposal of chopping off the Shs20 million before the patient received treatment. I also refused to sign for any amount that had to be deducted from that account but Bukenya and Naigaga were convinced and signed for that money and handed it over to Mr Dhikusooka,” he said.

However, Mr Baleke said the allegations that he was involved are baseless because he was not a signatory to the Save Brenda Jimbo account adding that he is just getting the information from the media.

However, Mr Dhikusooka said they refunded the Shs20 million and handed it to Ms Gimbo's husband on Friday at about 5:00pm at Jinja Regional Police headquarters.

He said the handover was witnessed by the Deputy Kiira Regional Police Commander Onesmus Jerome Mwesigwa, a position that has been denied by the Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr Samson Lubega.

Daily Monitor has learnt that Ms Gimbo travelled to Yashoda Hospital in India on Saturday with Shs20 million less.