By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
FDC founding president Rtd Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye has punched holes in the recommendations in the Elders Committee Probe report, describing it as wanting. The recommendations are part of the report compiled by the Committee following investigations into the intelligence report by Besigye which pointed out that FDC senior leaders had solicited and received money from the State House to fund the 2021 general elections.
The allegations prompted the party National Council to appoint a Seven members committee to probe into the controversial sources of money purportedly received by Secretary General Hon. Nathan Nandala Mafabi and President Patrick Oboi Amuriat. The committee would then return to report to the party which they did at the 16th National Council meeting at Najjanankumbi on July 28.
@kizzabesigye1 has called for a forensic audit in the @FDCOfficial1 to trace the source of the alleged evil money that came into the party in the 2021 general elections.@AchiroDoreen @GilbertAkampa pic.twitter.com/p3cZ9mSBih
— Parrots UG (@parrotsug) August 7, 2023
In its report, the committee observed that the money from hostile sources was a sensitive issue and responsible for the dispute between Nandala and Besigye.
Despite presenting the report to the national council members, the Committee failed short of naming those responsible for the irregularities but goes ahead to recommend a reconciliation between Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hon. Nandala. Besigye has outrightly rejected the report saying that the committee did not attempt to establish the facts and unveil the truth relating to the dirty money.
“The Elders Committee Report never made the slightest attempt at all to find the facts. What I emphasized to them is not in the records of what I told them. My presentation to them was selectively and inaccurately recorded. Somewhere in the report it says that Hon. Nandala was the one who lent the money to the party. They didn’t even ask him how much he lent. Was it also too sensitive to be asked?” he challenged.
Dr Besigye admitted to receiving Shs300 million from Nandala in brand new Shs20,000 notes wrapped in bundles of Shs20 million each labeled with Bank of Uganda and serialized. According to him, Nandala had entrusted him with the money due to the tax dispute he had with URA worrying that his money could be seized from his accounts. However, the labels on the money and the time at which the money was delivered to him (Dr Besigye) aroused suspicions prompting him to temporarily keep it away from his home for fear of insecurities.
“My first concern came with the arrival of the money. The money arrived at my home at 10 pm. Hon. Nandala rang me saying that ‘the other thing we talked about is about to arrive.’ I asked him where the money was passing because there was a curfew at the time and people were not allowed to move. He told me not to worry and before long his driver alone handed me a big box of money,” he revealed.
“They were demanding money from his companies and if he places it on his accounts the authority would pounce on it and it would be difficult to recover it,” Besigye said “I told Hon. Nandala that my home was not secure. My home is always being surrounded and sometimes searched. I told him I could not keep the money with myself, but I would put it somewhere which we discussed would be safe,”
The committee also established that the money was later paid back to Nandala in three installments with the sum of the money amounting to Shs 670,000 undelivered. But, Besigye denied this saying all the money was delivered to his then Total petrol station – Nsambya and given to the administrator sent by Nandala who opted to withdraw the money in three phases. He says the money was changed to dollars however, at the time of the conversion, the shilling had appreciated leading to the shortfalls.
“I have learnt about all this during the SEC process. If I had been informed of this, it would have been rectified right away,” he said
Besigye says that report does not absolve the FDC leaders suspected of having received the money noting that their actions before, during and after the committee report point to their culpability which has caused lack of co-operation and hostilities in the party. He suggests that current crop of leaders in the FDC steps aside to allow the National Executive Committee to commission a forensic audit of party in order to resolve the issue of the dirty money coming into the party.
“We are going to appoint competent firms of people to undertake a forensic audit of the party resources. It is critical, and it is in the benefit of all so that we know the truth something that which we could have been saved by the elders Committee if it had directed its mind properly,” Besigye suggested.
The four times presidential candidate further said that resilience of the FDC will sail the party through its current turmoils revealing that some leaders in NEC opposed to the evil money will be traversing the country to mobilize leaders at the grassroot levels to fight for liberating their party and the country at large.
“I call upon all our leaders in districts to mobilize, organize and resist the forces that have captured our party. We are all members of the FDC, and we must liberate our party and our country,” he said.
