By Aggrey Baba
Eric Sakwa, former Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Jinja District (now Jinja City) has revealed how a fallout with mafias in Busoga over 2016 Independence Day Celebrations ended with his abrupt transfer (announced on radio) and how the lady who was his line minister, who effected it, later suffered a similar fate.
In an exclusive interview with Mulengera News, Sakwa traced the controversy back to October, 2016 when he was serving as Deputy RDC in Jinja under Richard Gulume, at a time when Busoga had been selected to host national Independence Day celebrations in Luuka district.
He explained that following the announcement, a section of leaders from Jinja, including Gulume, then LC5 Chairman Titus Kisambira among others collected money from business people, investors and companies, claiming it was meant to support the organization of the national event yet in actual sense the same had already been generously funded by the government in Kampala, through the Presidency Ministry.
However, Sakwa said government had already released money to fully cater for the celebrations, making the local collections unnecessary. He maintained that the exercise created confusion among contributors, many of whom later started demanding accountability, and as questions intensified, Sakwa said responsibility was shifted to him despite not having handled any of the money.
To clear his name, he went on radio where he explained that government had already funded the function and distanced himself from the collections.
“They told the people that I was the one responsible, yet I hadn’t touched any money. They had shared it amongst themselves. I had to clear my name,” Sakwa said, a move which put him at odds with local leaders and his line minister too.
He stated that shortly after his radio appearance, efforts to remove him from Jinja intensified, with the same leaders reportedly using their influence and proximity to then Minister for the Presidency Esther Mbayo, being their tribemate, to kick him out of Jinja.
He recounted that the process unfolded unusually, starting with public statements on radio by RDC Gulume indicating that his transfer was imminent. The following day, Mbayo announced his redeployment to Kumi district via radio, without or before any formal communication was issued to him.
According to Sakwa, the manner in which the transfer was handled caught him off guard and disrupted his personal plans. At the time, he had enrolled for a Master’s degree at Makerere University and had been commuting between Jinja and Kampala for evening classes, on a daily basis.
The transfer to Kumi made it difficult to continue with the study programme, forcing him to apply for a dead year. He said he later applied for another but eventually abandoned the course after hopes of being transferred closer to Kampala didn’t materialize.
Sakwa also pointed to what he described as an ironic development, noting that not long after his removal, President Yoweri Museveni dropped Mbayo from her ministerial position, with the decision similarly communicated on radio.
“She was also fired on radio, the very way transferred me,” Sakwa said, while laughing. In the above referenced media interview, Sakwa gave his views on many things including the challenges and the targeting he endured while serving as RDC in Jinja.
The fearless tiny man from Bugisu also at length explained how NRM cadres use the RDC position to extort, make money and become very rich. Details of the interview can be accessed through this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KegkiQ0XtE & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tipa86xI0pw.(For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
