31 August 2008
This NSSF-Minister Amama Mbabazi Shs11 billion land controversy might turn out to be more serious than it appears now. Parliament is currently grilling NSSF management over the suspicious dealings in which they bought land from Mr Mbabazi and businessman Amos Nzeyi.
Issues of conflict of interest have been cited. Purported ghost land has also been discovered; of course, in our country, ghosts of all kinds pervade the empty spaces. While the House committee grills the NSSF bosses, the informal NRM Caucus is waiting for an explanation from Mr Mbabazi the moment he returns from his sojourn to the United States. This has made the whole thing political. And when politics set in, dirty games begin.
Grapevine has heard that some of the MPs at the frontline of efforts to have Mr Mbabazi explain his dealings with NSSF, have been receiving phone calls from anonymous characters, warning them off. Some callers have been telling the MPs that 'higher authorities' sanctioned Mr Mbabazi's questionable transactions.
So just to be on the safe side of things, those who were called placed calls to higher networks to verify things and complain about the harassment. Fears of death by poisoning have now been reignited by this NSSF scandal. We hope this matter settles without collateral damage.
Govt mischief in FDC backfires
If you follow national politics, you must have already known that FDC has halted its grassroots elections. The story behind that abrupt decision is that the ruling NRM had planted spies masquerading as FDC stalwarts who were to be elected as FDC leaders.
The deal was that after they have been elected, they would then be deployed purposely to disorganise the re-election of Dr Kizza Besigye as the party's President.
These fellows reportedly received unspecified sums of cash to 'mobilise' votes for themselves. But the FDC got wind of this plot and immediately suspended the elections.
President whispers to Alaso
Sometimes political rivalry is not enmity. That is exactly how it played out between Soroti Woman MP Alice Asianut Alaso and President Yoweri Museveni. While on his tour of Teso recently, Mr Museveni and Ms Alaso walked side by side. They also shared some information. But unknown to them, television cameras and microphones were capturing their conversation.
"Why do you always tell people that I am the one sabotaging development? You forget that you have made several unfulfilled promises to Iteso then you say I am the one misleading people," Alaso whispered. "You should stop that."
Mr Museveni was captured nodding in agreement with Ms Alaso. They even exchanged mischievous smiles after the President promised not to blame Ms Alaso again.
But when he got to deliver his speech, the man turned the heat on Ms Alaso, who he had asked to translate for him. "People like Alaso here are the ones misleading you. Don't vote such people again because they have nothing to offer you," he said. Stunned does not come anywhere near her reaction.
How Kutesa is doing his job
While some NRM bigwigs are jostling over superiority, one man is quietly serving the interests of his boss. That man is the Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa.
Mr Kutesa has been globetrotting to popularise President Museveni's quest for a fourth elective term in office. Grapevine has learnt that Mr Kutesa took the Opposition's aggressiveness in the Diaspora to heart, knowing that they could easily use that advantage to mobilise international community ala Robert Mugabe.
And so Mr Kutesa has been lobbying the anti-Museveni elements. He has over the past five months ensured that two top international conferences are convened in Uganda in the near future before 2011.
These include the Smart Partnership in 2009 and the African Union Heads of State and Government meeting to be convened in Kampala in 2010. Sources in the know say that the intention is to have world leaders have an on-the-ground account of what Uganda is today.
While in Egypt in June this year, Mr Kutesa lobbied the African Union summit to declare Uganda as the host of the 2010 event. In addition, the summit declared Uganda as the next continental non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
Last month, together with President Museveni in Zambia they lobbied to get host nation status for the 2009 Smart Partnership Dialogue.
Museveni taken for a Naads' ride in Teso
As the pundits continue to ask themselves what came out of the President's eastern Uganda tour, the word is that the local community in Teso were not buying the hype. Here is why. During the President's tour of Teso to assess the performance of the Naads programme, vital information was tucked away from him.
The sad story is that Naads has not done much for the locals by way of improving agriculture here as it is intended despite the huge sums of money that have allegedly been pumped into the project.
So when Mr Museveni came fuming, the Naads people are said to have devised better strategies. They visited some few farmers who had struggled largely on their own to grow oranges and rear goats. They sweet-talked these farmers that it was important for the President to visit their farms because, you never know, the boss could give them brown envelopes.
Some farmers accepted and declared their farms as success stories for Naads. The other rumour is that money changed hands in extreme cases. In some areas, they collected goats from several homesteads and gathered them in one place for the President to see the 'success of Naads'!
The moment he left the premises, the goats would be quietly handed back to the true owners. Now some farmers, who were promised presidential brown envelopes but missed out, are cursing.
In Bukedea District, for example, Mr Museveni was led to the farm of a retired civil servant who had struggled on his own. This was reportedly arranged by the district leaders and the Naads coordinators. That is the politics of Naads and Prosperity for All.
More party unhappiness for Amama Mbabazi
Again on NSSF, word on the grapevine is that Mr Mbabazi could be in more trouble with his party because his scandal could jeorpadise the party's future engagement with the Workers Fund.
The party was eyeing money from NSSF to build its proposed twin-tower headquarters. The plan was that NSSF starts lending money to different entities early to soften the ground with the public. That is why probably NSSF lent money to URA to build offices.
This practice was to gradually extend to other entities. And then, towards 2011, NRM would come calling for a loan from the Fund to fund construction of its offices.
By that time, it would have become almost normal for the Fund to lend out money. So if NRM needed a loan and presented a good repayment plan, there was no reason for NSSF to turn them down.
However, part of this money would be injected in presidential and parliamentary campaigns. But with the current Mbabazi muddle, some party planners are furious their scheme will not work out. That is where money meets politics.
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