By John V Sserwaniko
Under SD Ref56/05/05/2017, Police in Isingiro district continues investigating the criminality that saw some staffers of WFP, Samaritan Purse and a transporter called Mansions Ltd attempt to divert food meant for one of the refugee settlements in Western Uganda. The criminal case was opened May last year after the staff of the refugee program in the OPM complained to Police. Acting on intelligence information, the OPM officers working with Police had mounted a preventive operation during which they intercepted a trailer truck driver (called Ashraf Lubega) trying to divert relief food meant for refugees worth Shs30m. According to sources close to Isingiro Police OC CIID, the matter was even prosecuted in the Magistrates Court where Lubega (an employee of one the WFP implementing partners; a transporter) was formally charged and subsequently released under very tough bail conditions.
These are huge trailer trucks and when full, like this one was, they carry food rations worth Shs30m. The OPM, which has been at war with some staff of UN agencies, mounted this operation following persistent reports that some of the implementing partners (the NGOs & transporters) the refugee UN agencies contract sometimes connive to divert or steal food meant for refugees. “It was very early morning and we moved in following a tip off from the OPM guys because everybody was wondering why the truck loaded with refugee food was being parked in a wrong place at such an awkward hour when its supposed to be in transit. We found the driver was in the truck alone and we arrested him to inquire more into his improper motives,” said a police operative who was involved in the last May preemptive operation. We are told fearing for the resultant embarrassment, the WFP bosses contacted OPM and mounted pressure for the truck that had been detained as exhibit to be released.
Reliable sources confirmed that this is a case that is well known in the UNHCR, WFP & OPM. To avoid further scandalizing of the situation, the trio mutually agreed to keep the matter away from the media. A top WFP official was quoted as saying: “Please release the truck and leave the rest to us. We shall deduct the money from the transporter.” The OPM somehow backed off but the file remained open and active at Isingiro Police where the truck driver was detained for some time. “We released the truck back to the transporter company but very reluctantly because the pressure was too much as the WFP started blackmailing that we are harassing their implementing partners,” said a police officer that was thickly involved in the matter May last year. Incidents of this nature are the reason why OPM was always complaining as to why WFP and its implementing partners were sidelining them during the procurement, storage, transportation and distribution of food to the refugee settlements. “We can’t be sure if this was a one off incident or something that had been happening very often,” said a top government official thickly involved in refugee operations. The intercepted trailer truck was carrying maize rations for the refugees.
KAYIHURA INTERVENES
In order to clean up, the two UN refugee agencies instead raised a complaint accusing the OPM staff of forcefully accessing UNHCR storage facilities and taking away fuel for an emergency operation aimed at preventing the group of vigilantes Isingiro LC5 chairman Jeremiah Kamurari had mobilized to attack the Nakivale refugee camp claiming it was partly seated on land that government had previously grabbed from the people. This was during the difficult period when hunger was ravaging communities in Isingiro district. The OPM and police got intelligence in good time and had to deploy to prevent the Kamurari chaos but lacked fuel to do so and appealed to UNHCR. It was night time and they believed they had to take steps before the Kamurari squad members could strike.
They insisted to the UNHCR guys on the ground this was emergency that couldn’t wait till morning. The UNHCR officers on the ground reluctantly went and gave fuel for the operation, a matter that was later reported to Kampala as extortionist by OPM staff and Police. Subsequently the UN agencies complained to the President who directed Gen Kayihura to go and find out more. Kayihura took a comprehensive approach whereby he also investigated Kamurari claims (which he has since abandoned) that some OPM, UNHCR & WFP officials were conniving to own land in the refugee settlements and were covering up by expanding the refugee settlement into the private land of the people. Kayihura discovered and indicated in his report that the refugee land was intact except for the Kyaka refugee settlement where the Sanyu Katuramu family claims to have titles for some of the land in the middle of the vast refugee settlement at Kyaka. To comment on this & other Mulengera news stories, reach us on 0703164755!
