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Byarugaba, Amongi clash over money lending claims
Former NSSF Managing Director Richard Byarugaba and Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Betty Amongi. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
The minister was asked to write a statement on money lending claims and hand it to the Committee
As Parliament’s Select Committee was winding up week two of the probe last Friday, Mr Mwine Mpaka (Mbarara City South) asked the current management staff at National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and its former Managing Director, Mr Richard Byarugaba, whether any one of them wished to give personal statements.
Monday, February 06, 2023
Mr Byarugaba raised his hand and notified the Select Committee of an additional allegation against him by Ms Betty Amongi, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
“This is an awkward situation, unfortunately, Mr chairman, I have not been able to talk [about this matter] because I don’t have any right to talk. So, the only person who has given me an opportunity to talk is yourself and, therefore, I would like to put this on record that I have just seen a tweet forwarded to me by a colleague,” Mr Byarugaba said.
“On NBS television, I believe this was a programme or interview where the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Honorable Betty Amongi, says her refusal to reappoint Richard Byarugaba as Managing Director of NSSF was backed by evidence of financial impropriety in the running of the Fund.
“Ms Amongi says that the savers’ money was being taken [and] given to money lenders in town to make profits,” he added.
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NBS television posted the tweet on February 9.
Mr Byarugaba, who is being investigated for mismanagement of the Fund, said he was not aware of this particular accusation.
“As far as I am aware, this is a new allegation. I don’t know if anybody is investigating it and it just feels sad that my name continues to be tarnished by my former boss,” he said before appealing to the Select Committee to do something about the matter.
“I don’t know what powers the Committee has, but I really feel that this is a really bad campaign for me. I mean, my children looking at this, my wife and relatives looking at these [allegations], anybody else and even my colleagues who have worked with me. Anybody seeing this won’t feel nice things about me. I feel that it’ so unfair. My request is that if you have the power, I don’t know if you can stop this or ask the minister to retract this because it is what it is,” Mr Byarugaba said.
Mr Mpaka said the Committee had taken note of the concern.
On the same day, Ms Amongi had her turn to interface with the Committee to make additional clarifications on the NSSF saga. This was her second appearance before the Committee from the time the probe commenced two weeks ago.
Among the items the Select Committee team asked the minister to address was the claim fronted by Mr Byarugaba.
“Honourable chair, I am going to view my interview and it will form part of my [written] responses [to later hand over to the Committee],” she briefly said without commenting further on the matter.
Mr Amongi was advised to have the written responses ready and handed over to the Committee as soon as the team prepares to draft a report on the matter.
What amongi said on NBS
NBS reporter: Is the money in NSSF safe?
Minister Amongi: “When they brought the budget, they asked me to approve money that pays Fund managers. Now what they do, they get money from NSSF and transfer it to the account of a private person whom they call a fund manager. And they tell you that fund manager to now source for stocks and equities from Kenya, UK, Tanzania yet these people have been sitting on this money and making profit out of it. And I know so. So, when I got to know, I got my intelligence briefing. Sometimes they put money in dormant accounts and they give to money lenders in town.”
