By Ben Musanje
Fresh whistleblower allegations have placed at least Shs57.4 million in questionable payments under scrutiny at Kyambogo University, with senior administrators, the Director of Information Communication Technology (ICT), the Dean of Students, support staff and officials linked to student affairs named in what the complainant describes as a coordinated abuse of public funds.
The allegations, submitted to the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) alongside copies of payment vouchers generated from the government’s Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS), also point to broader claims involving sports funds, student welfare budgets, graduation gowns, living-out allowances and procurement practices worth hundreds of millions of shillings.
The latest allegations emerge only weeks after procurement investigators faulted the university over a controversial printing and photocopying contract that reportedly caused the government a financial loss of more than Shs2.04 billion, adding to mounting concerns about governance and accountability at one of Uganda’s largest public universities.
According to the anonymous whistleblower petition, the suspicious payments revolve around the 2026 Students’ Guild elections, where a private firm identified as HEMS Consortium was contracted to develop an electronic voting platform. While the elections were successfully conducted, the complainant alleges that the post-election payments reveal what appears to be a pattern of irregular facilitation to university employees for duties they were already employed and salaried to perform.
Among those listed is Dr. John Okuonzi, the university’s Director of Information Communication and Technology (ICT), who allegedly through his supplier number 257903 received Shs9,806,000 described as facilitation for IT support during the guild elections. This remains a question as to why the Director of ICT would receive separate facilitation for providing technical support that ordinarily falls within his official responsibilities.
Payment records attached to the complaint indicate that the amount was processed through the university’s IFMS platform under a validated invoice bearing a supplier number assigned to the official.
Equally questioned is a payment of Shs8,900,200 allegedly made to Stella Nalumansi (through her supplier number 864754), secretary in the Office of the Dean of Students. According to sources, Nalumansi was on maternity leave during the period the services were supposedly rendered, making it difficult to understand how she could have provided IT support.
Another payment under scrutiny involves Alice Kagoya, an office attendant attached to the Dean of Students’ office. Records attached to the petition indicate she received Shs8,780,300 through her supplier number 258450 under the same IT support arrangements.
“What IT support could an office attendant possibly have provided?” the complainant asks in the petition, arguing that the payment raises serious questions regarding abuse of office and possible fraudulent accountability.
The petition further alleges that Bridget Mugume, the Dean of Students, personally received Shs5,918,000 through her supplier number 1092426 linked to the guild elections despite being the head of the department responsible for supervising the electoral process as part of her official duties.
In total, the four payments alone amount to Shs33.4 million, all allegedly justified as election-related facilitation.
The whistleblower claims the payment vouchers cited purchases of airtime and internet services during the elections, yet insists the university already maintains an institutional internet service provider. The complaint further alleges that accountability records referred to the purchase of tablet computers despite the elections reportedly using only three tablets borrowed from the university library.
“No tablets were purchased,” the complainant states.
Beyond the election facilitation, the petition raises questions over Shs20 million reportedly paid out under the guise of subscriptions to the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA).
According to the whistleblower, university records indicate Shs10 million was paid to Dean of Students Bridget Mugume and another Shs10 million to office attendant Alice Kagoya, allegedly described as subscription payments to UNSA.
The complainant argues that UNSA is a registered legal entity capable of receiving payments directly and ordinarily raises official payment requisitions in its own name.
“It is strange that individual university employees received cash purporting to be UNSA,” the petition states.
Attached IFMS payment extracts indicate both transactions were validated and approved within the university’s financial management system.
Additional payment documents attached to the complaint also show Shs7.5 million reportedly paid for guild election activities at Bushenyi Learning Centre and another Shs12.58 million processed as facilitation for sports tournaments. Although the whistleblower does not directly accuse the recipients of wrongdoing, the petition asks investigators to examine the payments alongside wider allegations concerning sports funds.
According to the complaint, officials in the Games and Sports section allegedly channel university funds through staff accounts before requiring the recipients to withdraw and surrender the cash to senior officers.
“If investigators examine all payments made for sports activities, they will unearth much more,” the whistleblower alleges.
The petition goes beyond individual transactions to question institutional financial controls.
It claims the university’s Convocation reportedly operated for a period without legally constituted leadership despite continued expenditure under its budget code.
The whistleblower also questions why the university accounting officer allegedly authorized cash releases directly to officials such as the Dean of Students and the University Engineer instead of paying approved service providers as required under public finance regulations.
Another area highlighted involves procurement at Bushenyi Learning Centre, where the complainant alleges university funds were spent on beds, mattresses and curtains despite there allegedly being no demand for student accommodation at the facility.
The petition also calls on investigators to examine how accommodation fees collected from students are managed.
One of the more explosive allegations concerns a reported Shs360 million annual budget for undergraduate ceremonial gowns.
According to the whistleblower, only a fraction of the gowns is allegedly supplied each year while procurement records reflect expenditure for the full budget.
Students, the complainant claims, receive gowns during orientation and later lose interest in following up on the matter, allowing the alleged practice to continue unnoticed over several years.
No documentary evidence supporting this particular allegation was attached to the petition.
The complaint further alleges possible manipulation of government living-out allowances paid to government-sponsored students who are not allocated university accommodation.
According to the whistleblower, university officials allegedly compile lists submitted to the Ministry of Finance containing names of individuals who may not be eligible or, in some cases, are allegedly not students at all.
The petition claims some recipients are instructed to withdraw the allowances and surrender most of the money to unnamed officials while retaining only a small portion themselves.
Again, no supporting documentation for this allegation accompanied the complaint.
The whistleblower also urges investigators to secure the Dean of Students’ office laptop, claiming it contains electronic records relating to many of the curious transactions.
Separately, the complainant alleges that HEMS Consortium, the company contracted to develop the electronic voting platform, may have undisclosed links to university officials. Specifically, the whistleblower claims the company is associated with senior staff, including the Director of ICT, while presenting itself as an external service provider. No documentary evidence establishing the ownership structure of the company was attached to the complaint, and the allegation remains unverified.
The fresh claims arrive against the backdrop of an already damaging procurement controversy involving the university’s printing and photocopying services.
A report by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) found that the university paid MFI Document Solutions Ltd Shs4.53 billion under a four-year printing contract despite actual work allegedly amounting to only Shs2.49 billion, resulting in an estimated financial loss of Shs2.04 billion to government.
The PPDA report criticised the decision by Accounting Officer Arthur Katongole to retain the supplier despite repeated objections from procurement officials, members of the Contracts Committee and legal advisers who had raised concerns over poor performance and inflated invoicing.
Investigators further found that Katongole signed a renewed contract before obtaining approval from the Contracts Committee, contrary to procurement law. The PPDA directed the university to terminate the existing contract and commence a fresh competitive procurement process.
The latest whistleblower petition now suggests that the procurement controversy may represent only part of a much broader pattern of alleged financial mismanagement within the university.
The Inspectorate of Government has already acknowledged receipt of the petition and is in the process of commencing the investigations. Once investigators begin their work on the ground, additional information is likely to emerge.
Likewise, the university officials named in the complaint had not publicly responded to the specific accusations.
Under Uganda’s legal framework, allegations contained in whistleblower petitions remain claims until independently investigated and proven. Should the Inspectorate commence inquiries, investigators would likely examine the IFMS records, payment approvals, procurement files, bank trails, supplier registrations and supporting accountability documents to determine whether any criminal offences, breaches of the Public Finance Management Act or abuse of office occurred.
Some staff members at Kyambogo University who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said they are frustrated by the alleged corruption at the institution and are no longer willing to be used by their selfies superiors like the likes of Chris Obore at parliament. They said they are prepared to cooperate with investigators by providing evidence, adding that they would rather serve as state witnesses than face possible culpability in the alleged wrongdoing.
For now, the petition presents investigators with a detailed trail of names, payment references and financial records that, if authenticated, could significantly expand scrutiny of financial management practices at Kyambogo University beyond the procurement scandal already under regulatory investigation. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
