Court told that President Museveni ordered for Minister Kabafunzaki’s arrest

Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | The trial of suspended State Minister for Labour, employment and Industrial relations Herbert Kabafunzaki resumed with the Anti-corruption Court in Kololo hearing that President Yoweri Museveni authorized the arrest and prosecution of his cabinet minister over corruption charges.

This was the testimony on Wednesday of the Owner of Aya Investment Company, Mohammed Hamid the complainant in the bribe case against the former Minister, his political assistant Brian Mugabo and Bruce Lubowa his relative.

Last year, President Museveni suspended Kabafunzaki after he was accused of soliciting and receiving a sh5million bribe from Hamid at Serena Hotel in Kampala on April 8, 2017.

The investor told presiding Judge Margaret Tibulya that in April 2017, he called the president through his Principal Private Secretary to advise him on how he could go about the actions of his cabinet minister also Rukiga MP who was asking him for a sh50 million bribe in order to clear his name over allegations of sexual harassment by his employee Jamilla Opondo.

Hamid testified that Kabafunzaki had in company of journalists first approached him at his Pearl of Africa Hotel in Nakasero on April 06, 2017, complaining of the said allegations coupled with a number of other concerns including failure to paying his workers.

Then on April 07, 2017 the minister called Hamid to his office and told him that since he was the one who opened the can of worms, he too had the capacity to close it at a cost, and have his name cleared through a press conference.

The Investor informed court that Kabafunzaki then sent him his lawyer and relative Bruce Lubowa to process the necessary documents required to clear his tainted image, and further receive legal fees of sh25 million, then another sh50 million for the Minister.

Hamid told court that after this request, he called the President, who gave him a go ahead to involve the police that laid a sh5 million trap and arrested the three accused persons on April 08, 2017 at Serena Hotel in Kampala.

The brown kaki envelope, the trap money and mobile phone of one of Hamid’s employees that was used to record this evidence, have all been tendered in court as prosecution exhibits.

Further hearing of this case has been adjourned to February 23, Friday this week.