Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa and her husband Victor Busuulwa are in the eye of the storm regarding the cooperatives compensation scandal after a parliamentary committee report placed them at the heart of loss of about Shs1bn for Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited. The money was described as ‘a token of appreciation,’ ‘a loan’ but the committee labelled it a “kickback.”
On July 18, detectives from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) and Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) of the Uganda Police Force arrested Geraldine Busuulwa, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC), on charges of conspiracy to defraud and causing financial loss.
But eight months ago, a report by the sectoral committee on tourism, trade and industry on the inquiry into the governance of and value for money for budgetary appropriations to cooperatives, had placed PS Geraldine Busuulwa and her husband Victor Busuulwa at the centre of financial loss and other controversies surrounding Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited.
On August 25, 2023, Speaker Anita Among instructed the Sectoral Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry, chaired by the youthful Mbarara City South MP Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama, “to conduct an inquiry into the status, governance, resourcing and value for money for public funds allocated to Cooperatives during the period of FY 2011-12 -2022-23.”
The committee discovered that in total, Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited had received Shs2.7bn (UGX 2,744, 520,000 to be exact), up to Shs936m went to Geraldine Busuulwa through her husband as a token of appreciation, leaving the union with only Shs1.8bn (UGX1,808,520,000 to be exact).
Another Shs150m was reportedly given to Victor Busuulwa in cash as a loan, meaning that the Busuulwas got Shs1.086bn from the Shs2.7bn for the union. Two men came out prominently in transferring the money to Victor Busuulwa, Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa’s husband: Martin Wilson Kasule and Francis Lwanga.
“… there were no board minutes appointing Mr. Kasule Martin Wilson as the authorised agent for Bwavu Mpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited for the purchase of a coffee bean processing machine and to coordinate the borrowing process of UGX 3,000,000,000 (Three Billion Shillings) from Microfinance Support Centre Ltd,” the committee reported.
But the Mwine Mpaka committee found that although these two “made several withdrawals from the bank account of Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited,” they “were not members of the Board or management, but rather agents.” At some point, Victor Busuulwa claimed that he received the money to purchase machinery but said he “needed time to check his records to verify the amount.” Yet Lwanga “informed the Committee that they have no agreement with Mr Victor Busuulwa to procure machinery.”
THE TRAIL OF THE MONEY
With most transactions happening at Centenary Rural Development Bank [CERUDEB) Kabalagala Branch, Geraldine Busuulwa stayed behind the scenes as her husband Victor Busuulwa transacted with Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited bosses, particularly Francis Lwanga and Wilson Martin Kasule.
The Mpaka committee discovered that on Wednesday, December 01, 2021 Lwanga gave Busuulwa Shs436m in Nsambya as a “token of appreciation to Geraldine Ssaali.”
It was Kasule awho cknowledged receipt of the money on Busuulwa’s behalf “because Mr Victor Busuulwa refused to sign by appending his signature.” On December 09, 2021, Lwanga deposited Shs150m on Busuulwa’s account at the Kabalagala Branch of Centenary Bank at Till N0 4019, according to the committee report.
“While analyzing the bank statement, Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Sekyewa made a cash deposit of Shs150m and on 9 December, 2021, Mr. Lwanga Francis withdrew Shs150m at the bank account held in CERUDEB. It was then discovered that indeed Francis Lwanga made cash deposit of Shs150m on 9 December 2021 ‘DEPOSIT CASH FRANCIS LWANGA’ and that Mr Victor Busuulwa received the above funds,” the committee found out.
The Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry also learnt that Busuulwa received Shs350m in cash. “… the money was sent to Mr. Martin Wilson Kasule’s bank account who went with Victor Busuulwa to CERUDEB Kabalagala Branch. They both stood at the counter together. Mr Martin Wilson Kasule withdrew the money and it was immediately banked on Mr. Victor Busuulwa’s bank account. None of the two left the Bank Hall with cash,” the committee further learnt.
INTERDICT GERALDINE SSALI
Mwine Mpaka and his fellow committee members agreed that the money termed as a ‘token of appreciation’ was ‘a kickback’ and accused the MTIC PS of attempting to keep Bwavumpoiogoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited by holding its certificate so as to stop milking its compensation money.
“That whereas Mr. Martin Wilson Kasule termed the said fee as a token of appreciation to Ms. Geraldine Ssali, the Committee has since established that the funds were actually a ‘Kickback’ to the PS, MTIC for her role in the re-registration and payment process of Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited,” the committee said.
“That the Committee is further privy to information that the original certificate of Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited had been retained by Ms Geraldine Ssali in a bid to continue extorting money from the Union.”
The same committee has previously recommended the sacking of Geraldine Ssali. It should be remembered that a Museveni minister even threatened to drag government to court over the fuel and vehicles at the Ministry. (See Details Here).
Still about the scandal at the trade ministry, Ugandans were left shocked after it emerged that Shs400m had been spent on transporting documents from Kampala to Entebbe. (Read Story Here).
It also emerged that an official at the trade ministry nearly killed his colleague for trying to block his juicy multi-billion deal. Another shocking revelation was that an office attendant was more powerful that ministers and had procured multi-billion cars and took over the headquarters renovation deal. (See Details Here).
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goodmrng here in Uganda 🇺🇬 am here in bulambuli district up elgon County, like our mp womakuyu she let us suffer in the issue road’s we are suffering when during raining season people from bumasombo to buyaga eeee