The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
The super 10 and the rest
It is a complicated process with many twists and turns and allegations of corruption. It appears there are business people who deserve payment but are not paid and others that do not deserve payment but are paid. It has sparked a faceoff between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Trade, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), and Parliament. There is even talk of the `Super 10’, a list of claimants that gets paid over and over.
The ‘Super Ten’ is a group of companies run by well-connected businesspeople who have received compensation in two batches. It includes Rubya Investments, Kibungo Enterprises, Aponye (U) Limited, Afro Kai Ltd, Swift Commodities Establishment Ltd, Sunrise Commodities, Ms Sophie Omari, Apo General Agencies, Ropani International and K.K Transporters.
Some reports indicate that some of the companies share directors while others; like Swift Commodities Ltd are reportedly out of business.
Apollo Nyegamehe, commonly known as Aponye, who is the leader of the group told The Independent that their demands are legitimate.
According to him, their claims stem from grain supplies they made to the government of South Sudan. Unlike some of the other claimants, they were dealing directly with the top brass of the southern part of Sudan led by then vice president Salva Kiir.
“We got paid $14.8 million (Approx.Shs55 billion) in December 2011 and we received another Shs40 billion (Approx. $10 million) in April 2019,” Nyegamehe says.
Meanwhile others like Besimira keep waiting.
“We have made endless trips to the ministries of Finance and Trade of Uganda in search of compensation but all in vain,” Besimira told The Independent.
He says the government of South Sudan owes his company US$279,445 (Approx.Shs1 billion).
On February 27, 2017 he submitted compensation claim documents to both ministry of Trade and Finance. Since then he has been on a rollercoaster trying to get a penny.
In October 2018, he and fellow traders met Trade minister Amelia Kyambadde but the meeting bore no fruit in spite of her promising the lot that all would be well by February this year.
“They keep saying verification,” he says, “When they talk about verification, they are sending us back five years,” Besimira says of the process.
“They are asking us for too many documents, some banks like Liberty Bank in South Sudan closed and we have already spent way too much in the process of gathering all these documents.”
Some of the claims for compensation go back over 10 years, many lack proper documentation and the claimants are in many groups and their lists keeps changing. The list that had the Super 10 had 33 claimants in total. But an initial list, compiled in 2011 by the Ministry of Trade had 84 claims. And the latest list, compiled by the Parliamentary Select Committee and officials of the South Sudan government has 38 companies. Then the South Sudan government approved 82 companies.
The Minister of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives, Amelia Kyambadde, fueled speculation of corruption when she told the verification select committee led by Kyankwanzi District Woman MP, Ann Maria Nankabirwa, that her ministry verified 36 businesses and not the 23 traders that the Ministry of Finance submitted to Parliament.
“The list we have is what we verified; if anyone has a different list, then they manipulated it. We submitted the list to the Ministry of Finance, which never got back to us. It is Finance that submitted the list to Parliament, so they should account for the list they submitted,” Kyambadde said.
But Nankabirwa told The Independent that they zeroed on 38 companies that were entitled to be compensated. Her committee travelled to South Sudan and Kenya to verify their claims and she now blames the Ministry of Finance; especially Muhakanizi, for failing to pay the traders.
“Our traders have suffered. They have gone to the bank and borrowed money, others have mortgaged their assets,” she said, “Ernst and Young is working for who? Ministry of Finance has taken these people in circles for ten years.”
There are traders who lost every thing they had and the little they where left with, all when for follow up expenses and yet their names are still missing or alternated like OGIK PATRICK which seems to appear as EMANUEL OGIK. IF SUCH mistakes keeps on, then what is the verification all about?
Brother Akena, the other think you need to consider is the fact that when it comes to money issue even a cocroach can claim to be a victim who needs compansation for no lost incurred as we all knows that cocroches only destroyes clothes and other items at homes but have nothing as belongings. God be with you.
I am sorry to say that our government alway try to fulfil there promise with other countries but not care for his people which is spread world wide. and with out accountability making duty agreement with fake company and loosing billions but not care about his people. what kind people are you which plannet are coming from .you can see you people suffering in all over world and you still talking we rich we have oil we have a lot of mining we!!!!!!!!!!!! where your coming from?
This is a very sad news to South Sudanese. They’re dying of hunger, diseases and poverty but the so called Government of people still have the heart of stealing in different ways from the suffering people.Do the government has humanity really??
. Most of the companies are gost companies and belonging to Kiir and his people. Kiir’s corruption is beyond narrating. Honestly which heart do leaders have in South Sudan. Every Sunday they are in churches , why do they go to church if they don’t have heart of humanity.