Why Sabiiti abruptly postponed this year’s Police SACCO meeting

Details have emerged on why the first meeting of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Stephen Sabiiti Muzeyi as chairman of the Police Exodus SACCO was abruptly postponed on Friday.

The Annual General Meeting was called off in a communication issued by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Emmanuel Muheirwe to directors, heads and commanders of different units. He however didn’t give reasons for calling off the meeting.

“This is to inform you that the meeting has been postponed to December 13, 2019. Commanders are required to inform delegates to report to police headquarters on December 12 at 1400 hours without fail for accreditation,” reads ACP Muheirwe message.

Sources claim that the meeting was abruptly called off after junior officers expressed dissatisfaction with the newly appointed committee taking over the management of Exodus SACCO, claiming that their money has always been swindled by top police managers.

Gen Sabiiti reportedly asked for the postponement of the meeting in order to first understand why junior officers were questioning the new committee taking over the Sacco management. Exodus Sacco is worth more than Shs20 billion.

Some police officers, according to a source, have threatened to sue Gen Sabiiti and his committee, saying they can’t take over the SACCO’s management since they are not its members. During the Police Council meeting last week, it was resolved that the management of Police Exodus SACCO be restructured due to endless scandals.

The Police SACCO has about 30,000 members who are majorly officers of lower ranks from Police Constables to Inspectors of Police. Top police commanders from the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) to IGP reportedly have their internal SACCO where they deposit their monthly savings.

This has been a contentious issue where junior officers question why top ranking officers allegedly borrow money from the Exodus SACCO yet they are not members. Junior officers have often come to the media crying foul over the inability to access their savings yet police deducts money from their monthly salaries claiming they are being saved for the future use.

Some officers say they are made to pay twice the amount they borrow from the SACCO. In most cases, junior officers have almost gone physical with Exodus SACCO management formerly led by Assistant Superintendent of Police ASP Henry Kalulu accusing them of conniving with top echelons to misuse their savings.

Some officers quietly petitioned parliament to intervene. As a result, MPs tasked Gen Sabiiti to explain what was happening with junior officer’s savings. In response, he promised to come up with measures to end queries on how member’s saving are being handled.

The Deputy Police Spokesperson, Polly Namaye, confirmed that during the Police Council meeting, a steering committee chaired by Gen Sabiiti was set up purposely to streamline the management of Exodus SACCO.

“We have come up with the steering committee that is chaired by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, and its main work is to spearhead the streamlining the Police Exodus SACCO. A number of times, you have seen complaints in media about the management of the SACCO and we believe that there are somethings that could be done better, so this committee is going to look into those issues and see how to make the SACCO better,” she said.

Other members of the steering committee are Assistant Inspector General of Police, Asan Kasingye, who is also the Chief Political Commissar in the Uganda Police, Director Human Resource Management, Col. Jesse Kamunanwire, Police Under Secretary Rodger Muhirwe, Aswa Regional Police Commander, SSP Ezekiel Emitu, and Sgt Mukasa from Kajjansi police station, representing other ranks.