In response to numerous complaints that have been registered against Mr. Martin Muhanga by colleagues at the Education Ministry where he has been working an internal auditor, PSST Keith Muhakanizi has cracked the whip and recalled him back for redeployment. According to Nile Post, Muhakanizi was specifically responding to repeated pleas by Education Minister Janet Museveni who had realized the internal auditor was after all not the Angel she originally thought him he was. The Nile Post story further shows that the President at some point had to get involved in prompting IGP Okoth Ochola to prepare to act in case Muhanga resisted efforts to get him out of office following Muhakanizi’s letter recalling him. The news website quotes Muhanga as saying he was in all this mess because the corrupt people he wanted to expose have successfully ganged up on him. He further says that he had done his part and had now left the matter to God hoping the truth comes out some day. The Nile Post story painted him as lonely warrior who has fallen on hard times and has now opted to move on instead of wasting time quarrelling with well entrenched technocrats. He must indeed be a lonely man because many at Finance, which is his deploying ministry, are wondering why it’s always him always being right in the different MDAs where he previously worked. These include Mulago hospital and Judicial Service Commission (JSC) where he exited after a violet bust up with Accounting Officer Kagole Kivumbi, a seasoned technocrat now serving as Secretary to the Judiciary.
BACK TO MUHANGA @ MOES:
At education Ministry, Muhanga characteristically had issues with many workmates including Wycliffe Mugume who heads the audit department where Muhanga was one of the auditors. Sunday Vision too makes reference to this failure to relate with workmates and thereby leaving Muhakanizi with no option but to recall him. As of 28th May, Muhanga’s case had become so bad not even his blood relations to powerful people like media entrepreneur Andrew Mwenda (cousin brother) could save him. Courtesy of his belligerent character, Muhanga is understood not to be on talking terms with some of his Kampala-based powerful relatives from Toro where he hails from. So on 28th May 2018, Muhakanizi (who as PSST is concerned with all internal auditors) wrote a letter calling Muhanga back to the Finance Ministry for redeployment. But the Sunday Vision painted a picture of someone not interested in working under Muhakanizi’s supervision any more. He is quoted as saying that there is a corrupt system “that works for Muhakanizi.” This is not a statement one makes about somebody under whose supervision he still intends to operate. He implies that wherever he has worked, each time he raises a red flag against wrong people, Muhakanizi frustrates his efforts. In his one page letter, Muhakanizi informs Muhanga that this recall from MoES back to finance is being made in his own (Muhanga’s) interest. Muhakanizi doesn’t elaborate on this but asks Muhangi to prepare his hand over report and “immediately” report to his deploying ministry to await fresh instructions. Once a very powerful mover at Embassy House, Muhanga had in his last days at education developed as strange paranoia which saw some suffer physical violence. And the victims include a male contractor/service provider who marries one of Muhanga’s beautiful workmate. The other victim was Assistant Commissioner Bigabwa who heads the Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy in the ministry. According to Nile Post, another violent confrontation involved Muhanga’s immediate supervisor Wycliffe Mugume who at some point stayed away from office saying the MoES top bosses should first ensure his security. In his case, Bigabwa wrote a memo claiming he felt insecure after Muhanga threatened physical violence against him. Bigabwa’s concerns were well expressed in the memo a copy of which we have and is reproduced as part of this article. Muhanga is said to have grown more restless after his efforts to get promoted to a higher rank as an auditor ended in utter failure. This was after his superiors at both Finance and Education Ministries disputed the authenticity of the paper work that was attached. This failed promotion bid actually escalated his differences with Keith Muhakanizi who (as PSST who deploys him) was the one to have the last word on the matter. The claims of sex violence (that Sunday Vision reported about) also greatly perturbed Martin Muhanga. The Vision story shows that, on being reported by a female workmate who then operated at IPS Building where the World Bank-funded APL/UPPET project was housed, Police immediately began investigating Muhanga who says the young married lady, his close friend for a long time, resorted to these claims after 40 galaxy tablets went missing from her custody. Sources close to police investigations (that had stalled in Muhanga’s favor during the Kayihura era police) say on that fateful day, the internal auditor, as usual, came to the young lady’s office and intently asked “are you happy with your marriage?” She thought it was one of the usual work place jokes but to her surprise, the man from Toro (according to Sunday Vision) unveiled his manhood and started to violently dangle it in the lady’s face. She was ask to caress Muhanga’s extremely swollen manhood which she refused saying “this is becoming too much.” Knowledgeable police sources, close to the matter, say it was during afternoon and the two friends had just returned from lunch with other colleagues. The very terrified young lady screamed and made an alarm which attracted a cleaner and receptionist. She originally got counseled by the two ladies (they were older than her) not to tell her husband to avoid upsetting him. She nevertheless reported to CPS and investigations commenced under SD45/08/02/2016. Muhanga was subsequently investigated for indecent assault. Convinced the matter would administratively be resolved, after she involved Minister Rose Seninde and PS Alex Kakooza, the victim withdrew the complaint but later re-instated it under CRB/1152/2017. This was after Seninde efforts failed to yield. We have seen a police report dated 9th August 2016 confirming Muhanga was being investigated for indecent assault. It’s authored by D/ASP Joshua Tusingwire who copies it to Kasirye Byaruhanga & Co Advocates who are the victim’s lawyers. The document is referenced as: “Report on alleged sexual harassment by one Muhanga Martin Vide CPS K’la SD45/08/02/2016.”
Then on 20th June, the victim’s lawyers wrote to Muhanga and referenced their notice as: “Complaint of sexual harassment at work.” It goes as follows: “We act for Mrs…to address you herein below in respect of the above subject matter. It is with a sense of aggravation and distress that we write to you. The purpose of this letter is to draw your attention to the indecent/sexual harassment incidents since December 2016 wherein you exposed your genitals and made sexual demands to our client who serves as the Project Administrator under the MoES. You refused to desist from your said actions despite our client’s warnings and complaint at police under Ref SD45/08/02/2016. Your actions have caused extreme distress and psychological pain to our client terribly affecting her self-esteem, job and marriage. In that regard, our client intends to take legal action against you to recover damages for the mental/psychological anguish should you fail to write an apology to her within five days and a clear indication to desist from your actions.” The lawyers copied their notice to OC CID Headquarters Kibuli. The victim became even more hardened and determined to fight on in court after Muhanga met her husband and, instead of seeking to make peace, the two had a violent confrontation. The victim’s husband was asked to order his spouse to withdraw the case because she will lose it and be compelled to pay lots of money in court costs. Muhanga explained to Sunday Vision that the victim isn’t without blemish. He referred to the 40 galaxy tablets that got lost under her custody and Muhanga insists he must take credit being the auditor who unearthed this anomaly for which staff manning the MoES store have since been convicted and are serving jail sentence in Luzira. The victim’s lawyers say this matter came up after she refused to part with her things, a thing that greatly pained Muhanga and condemned him to permanent agony. They insist that Muhanga resorted to the 40 laptop issue in revenge well knowing their client had nothing to do with it. The laptops were meant to facilitate the monitoring of the WB project in the field.
