The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The ongoing controversy over the audit of Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) took a dramatic turn on Monday, with State Minister for Privatization and Investment, Evelyn Anite telling the press that her life is in danger.
Anite blamed the ‘mafia’ – a yet to be identified group of people said to exert a hidden sinister influence in government -, for trying to block an audit she called for.
“The plan by the mafias is to take Anite out of the picture, I might die but history will judge them. You know the mafias, they are the ones who have been blocking the audit,” she told a press briefing at her offices.
Anite was speaking out after a week in which the media accused her of siding with one of the investors interested in buying into UTL, and after Secretary to Treasury Keith Muhakanizi directed that the audit on activities of UTL be halted.
Muhakanizi said that since the question of audit is now before court, he has been advised by lawyers that the proposed audit by the Internal Auditor General would be subjudice.
These mafias are not jokers. Go and ask Abiriga. I will die while shouting that the mafias are coming until they take me down. They follow me and they are tapping my phone. You know the mafias, those who have been trying to block the audit – Minister Evelyn Anite. #NTVNews pic.twitter.com/DiahuD2pmZ
— NTV UGANDA (@ntvuganda) August 19, 2019
Anite: The plan by the mafias is to take Anite out of the picture, I might die but history will judge them. You know the mafias, they are the ones who have been blocking the audit. Do not live in denial. #NBSUpdates pic.twitter.com/YF4eXfbr2E
— NBS Television (@nbstv) August 19, 2019
Minister Anite: We shall chase the wrong people out of government and bring the right ones. How do you put public funds on private accounts? I am not seeking attention, these are facts. #NBSUpdates pic.twitter.com/yXk88sO4r7
— NBS Television (@nbstv) August 19, 2019
Anite: I have been hearing some Ugandans saying “You girl from Koboko, what do you know? You are just a worker. This government belongs to Banyankole”. That is not what I heard from my president. #NBSUpdates pic.twitter.com/QQh0JQwL7g
— NBS Television (@nbstv) August 19, 2019
The new instruction contradicts that earlier directive given by State Minister Anite to the Internal Auditor General last month for an audit to be conducted on activities of the Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL).
“Arising from H.E the President’s letter… dated July 16, 2019 addressed to me, to institute an audit of UTL activities, I am directing you to conduct an internal audit of UTL activities and evaluate the state of affairs within a period of one month,” read Anite’s letter dated July 24, 2019.
She further cautioned that the internal audit on UTL must be comprehensive to confirm or clear the allegations before President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
President Museveni in a letter dated July 16, 2019 directed Anite to carry out an audit in the activities of UTL citing some allegations made against the managers of the Telecom.
Now the contrary instructions by Muhakanizi have sparked off a new fight with Anite accusing him of connivance, sabotage and manipulation aimed at stalling efforts to find out the true state of UTL to inform further government action.
“The audit into UTL was to me through my office sanctioned by H.E the President. I have clear and unequivocal instructions from the President to carry out an audit of UTL. In the absence of a contrary directive from him, I am not in position to act contrary to his directive and you and Hon. Maria Kasaija would be well advised to do likewise,” reads part of Anite’s letter to Muhakanizi dated August 2.
She adds that the directive from the President predates any scheme that might subsequently be contrived to frustrate it and that it is not the subject of the UBC court proceedings and therefore not subjudice.
“I restate that UBC’s application for appointment of another Auditor is in bad faith because the audit process had commenced. Besides, the application to request court to appoint the Auditor General to undertake the audit is regrettable as the Auditor General in an earlier letter declined to undertake the audit,” Anite writes.
She cautions Muhakanizi to stop interfering with the implementation of Presidential directive and that by copy of her letter instructs the Internal Auditor General to proceed with auditing UTL.
Following the departure of Libyan managers of UTL in 2017 due to huge debts amounting to 700 billion Shillings and issues of mismanagement, UTL was put under administration of Twebaze Bemanya, the Registrar General of Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), who was appointed by government.
One of Bemanya’s tasks was to get an investor to take over UTL. But there has been bickering between Bemanya and State Minister Anite who has in the past called for his dismissal citing failure to allow accountability processes be carried out on the company.
She said that the government had encountered considerable difficulties dealing with the administrator and completely lost confidence in his ability to continue serving the role of UTL Administrator.
However, Anite’s repeated demands for an audit were opposed by Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, Auditor General John Muwanga, Attorney General William Byaruhanga, Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana who argued that the company according to the Administration Deed cannot be audited until the end of the Administrator’s tenure on November 22, 2019.
