Minister Bahati Implicated In Fraud,Cash Bonanza At UBOS

A fraud scam at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) is threatening the institution that has been faulted by social media for statistical errors. 

A clique at the country’s custodian of statistics is swimming in a cash bonanza aided by the absence of a supervisory Board almost a year since the expiry of the old Board.

A whistleblower is now alleging that the absence of a substantive Board is deliberate and blames the same on Finance State Minister David Bahati who he alleges is aiding fraud and the cash bonanza that has created a lot of unease among staff and Managers.

The Whistleblower also faults the Executive Director Dr. Chris Ndatira Mukisa for running the institution like a street kiosk characterized by internal Staff transfers that are said to be favoring those he considers close confidants. They are so frequent falling all the time like torrential rains.

Dr. Mukiza and his team are enjoying un-vetted powers since the institution has no Board to supervise them, hence the unsanctioned expenditures, internal transfers and leverage to settle scores against Staff he thinks are opposed to his leadership.

The whistleblower (names withheld) maintains that a conspiracy between the ED and Minister Bahati who he alleges was intimidated by the
latter who has a preferred team for a new Board and has vowed to fight on should the Minister overlook it.

Mukiza prefers a tribemate identified as Albert Byamugisha who he believes will not probe into the mess that has characterized his leadership to three (3) other candidates from West Nile and Bugisu sub-region. 

The whistle blower now wants the Inspectorate of Government to investigate the Dr. Ndatira Mukiza over flouting standard employment Guidelines questioning the internal transfers that have pitted senior staff against the junior, and less experienced. 

He also questions the transfer of Edgar Bahamiza who formerly headed UBOS’ Human Resource Department before he was transferred to head the
communications department where he has no training nor experience.

He also wants a review of the transfers of May 16, 2019 in which 29 staff were reshuffled. Promptly the ED made another set of internal transfers on February 4, 2020 before the one made last month on July 3, 2020.

Bahati has also allowed the ED to fill positions that would be ordinarily filled by the Board such as Senior Principal Officers and Managers.

In some cases like DSC’s John Mayende, staff are asked to do work or return money and those who refuse, are threatened with termination
while those who oblige have their stay extended by months. 
These are young inexperienced staff who have caused such embarrassments like statistical errors that someone complained about on social media.

One Arisic Lubega (DMES) collects kickbacks from his payees using one of  the drivers to the ED. 

The whistle blower asserts the appointment of Steven Baryahirwa and a one Florence was to facilitate fraud since the ED didn’t have such powers only vested in the Board.  Both the Board and head of procurement are vacant giving way to all kinds of mess.

Efforts to reach both Dr. Mukiza and David Bahati were futile. Dr. Mukiza didn’t pick his calls while a personal assistant to the Minister, claimed he was busy in his constituency when we called. 

Our reporter could however hear Bahati speak in the background on another phone conversation.

Below are some of the internal memos by Dr. Mukiza that have caused unease among staff. The whistle blower says the transfers are ill-motivated.