By Our Reporters
Secrets have emerged as to why Eng Leonard Egesa, whose only claim to fame is chairing Old Kampala old students association (OKOSA), has lately been on rampage vigorously attacking Auditor General John Muwanga. Belligerent Egesa, who has lately been attacking many public officials, is bitter that in his latest report on mismanagement at Old Kampala SS, Muwanga personally pinned him calling for criminal investigations into some of the OKOSA transactions under his chairmanship. And the impending criminal liability awaiting Egesa &Co is way above Shs130m that Muwanga wants them to refund having received it irregularly. In his 49 page report, on which Janet Museveni’s education Ministry is depending to direct the school Board of Governors to take a range of actions against Egesa’s OKOSA, Muwanga categorically states that the Shs10,000 each students in the candidate classes (S4 & 6) has previously been compelled to pay is illegal money and it should be refunded. He calls for deeper investigations by police and other security agencies with a view of preferring criminal charges against perpetrators. Before going after the much revered John Muwanga personally, Egesa first concentrated on junior AG officers routinely attacking them on social media. He kept threatening to unleash more but as his followers waited for more dirt on Muwanga’s assistants, Egesa instead came up a few days ago announcing how he had petitioned Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to remove Muwanga from office. He accuses the otherwise well polished and well rated John Muwanga of insincerity and incompetence. This latest social media offensive shows how daring Egesa has become because Muwanga has seldom been easily attacked. Many big people, including those with good reason to fault him, always restrain themselves fearing direct confrontation with Muwanga who integrity-wise is well entrenched in Parliament, the donor community and the public. Not so with Egesa who appears determined to stop at nothing in his efforts to demystify everyone.
PREVIOUS VICTIMS:
He has previously had acrimonious busts ups with guys at the IGG’s office to the extent that the place had to be declared out of bounds for him. He had reported to the IGG how there so much corruption at Old Kampala SS but on failing to see merit in his reports, the IGG asked him to try elsewhere. He reacted angrily as he always does. The same whistle blower had been to KCCA before turning to the Ministry of Education claiming the guys at Jennifer Musisi’s City Hall weren’t being helpful. At the education Ministry Egesa, who is always working with his right hand man Patrick Musinguzi, still felt he wasn’t helped enough and went to war with technocrats there claiming they had been compromised by his adversaries. At the lands ministry, he tried wooing over Chris Baryomunsi on matters regarding school land but bitterly turned against him after Baryomunsi took a contrary position after becoming privy to more facts than he previously had. Egesa indicated to the energetic Minister from Kanungu that: “I’m disappointed because I had a lot of hopes in you. I’m surprised that now thieves have manipulated you.” In Egesa’s world, every technocrat in the government ministry is a thief except those that agree with what he says.
BACK TO MUWANGA:
It all started June last year 2017 when Egesa reported what he termed fraud at Old Kampala SS. He originally reported to CIID whose bosses referred the matter to the AG on grounds his office was more suited to do the job since the complaint concerned alleged financial mismanagement. Acting on Egesa’s information, Muwanga conducted the audit and made many findings. However, the auditors exceeded what Egesa might have expected. They produced a 49 page report and between pages29 and 37 they disapprovingly referred to OKOSA’s activities, a thing that Mr. Egesa seemingly didn’t like.
WHAT DID THEY SAY?
As authorized under Section 3 of the Education Act (2008), OKOSA sends a representative on the Board of Governors for the school. Muwanga discovered that whereas alumni Board representation must by law be determined through an old boys/girls association, OKOSA is a company limited by guarantee which is clearly alien is legally provided for. Muwanga also observes it’s strange that, whereas other old boys associations find where to situate their offices to maintain neutrality and independence, OKOSA’s case is different. It’s housed at the school, totally different from what other alumni associations practice. Muwanga’s report shines torch on all these and thereby angering Egesa.
This is what Muwanga disapprovingly says about OKOSA being a company limited by guarantee: “OKOSA’s role in the school should be seen through the Board of Governors where they have representation. Registering as a company for the management of related affairs of the school while being represented in the School Board of Governors creates a situation of conflict of interest on matters of running the school.” This indictment must have left Egesa with an egg on his face. Muwanga notes that whereas alumni associations ideally mobilize financial resources for the respective schools, in OKOSA’s case it’s the school availing funds to the alumni association and more than Shs130m of such money can’t be accounted for. That when asked for his contribution as OKOSA chairman to the school, Egesa began seeing stars and struggled to have answers. Muwanga says that Egesa “did not specify their contribution as OKOSA.” He instead indicated ever receiving Shs16.5m from the school and was expecting more now that there is a new BOD replacing the one that had stopped the allocating of school funds to OKOSA. Egesa also disclosed that as a private company, OKOSA used to extend loans to the school which sounded not only improper but also strange to the auditors.
However, the proud man from the East didn’t provide any documentation to prove these loan transactions. But what must worry Egesa is that in the subsequent criminal investigations Muwanga recommends, OKOSA may have to answer as to why the interest charged while lending to the school was outrageously very high and thereby giving rise to unjust enrichment by some OKOSA top officials. Quoting former head teacher Aziida Nsubuga, ex-BOD Chairman Dr. Joseph Robert Jjumba and long-serving BOD member Prof Abbas Kiyimba, Muwanga also questions the legality of the money OKOSA has compulsorily been collecting from students in candidate classes. Ex-head teacher Martin Mukasa and Deputy Godfrey Ssekandi both confirmed that OKOSA collects money from students and never accounts to the school. These two witnesses are in very good terms with Egesa and can therefore not be accused of vendetta.
SCHOOL NOT BENEFITING:
Muwanga takes issue with the fact there is no verifiable way in which this money going to OKOSA benefits the school. He also belittles flamboyant Egesa by pointing out that OKOSA has never done anything tangible for the school as is expected of any alumni association. Even when he is a renowned Egesa friend, Deputy HM Ssekandi told auditors that OKOSA lost meaning and direction the moment is became confrontational and began attacking the head teacher on unsubstantiated fraud claims. Muwanga also discovers that, having become disgusted with the ineptness in Egesa’s OKOSA leadership, the Diaspora-based alumnus now send their money directly to the school management and don’t have anything to do with OKOSA anymore. Quoting PTA Chairman Dan Kalule, Muwanga observes that what OKOSA articulates these days are personal views of Egesa and not of OKOSA members. He specifically faults a clique calling itself “Council of Elders” for hijacking OKOSA; as their preferred agenda becomes the OKOSA agenda. The report brings to the fore the fact that when still head teacher, Martin Mukasa (who is Egesa’s friend) also served as OKOSA treasurer and those days OKOSA was never critical of school management. It was during Martin Mukasa’s time that OKOSA excelled collecting millions of shillings from O & A’level candidates. Muwanga also disapproves OKOSA having its offices at the school and getting involved in the management of the school. OKOSA BOD representative Patrick Musinguzi could even be in more trouble because he uses his board membership to meddle in daily management of the school. Muwanga wonders why OKOSA should be asking about students and staff welfare and the transactions in the school finance department. Muwanga faults OKOSA for using its office in the school to always incite teachers against top management. Muwanga notes that: “OKOSA would even threaten to storm board meetings [and] members receive intimidating phone calls from OKOSA, which later led to resignation of some [BOD] members.” The report also faults Egesa’s OKOSA team for intimidating teachers, the head teacher and board members. Muwanga directs the Ministry of Education to ensure OKOSA doesn’t exist as a private company and that it also is evicted from the school premises which they occupy as offices. The AG also exposes the fact that Egesa, who insists on playing watchdog role on the school management, has also previously done business with the same school supplying the software called “MAGEZI SOLUTIONS” (whatever that means). We separately established that the board became concerned regarding the quality of the software and blocked the deal, a thing that made Egesa very furious and vowing to spills on each BOD member. Muwanga quotes Egesa as confirming doing business with the school. The report also demands for accountability of the money OKOSA collects from the old students. On page 33, the auditors show that in FY2015, a lot of money was collected and can’t be traced including the Shs9,205,000! “Collection of membership fees from students in candidate classes should be reviewed since membership of any association is deemed to be voluntary. In this case, membership contribution was compulsory, having been made part of school fees payment,” the report states on page 33. Of all things, this indictment must be among those that angered Egesa most and it will even worsen soon as things degenerate to being required to refund the money.
CHEWING SHS53M:
The report shows that in 15 years (2010-2015), the school registered a total of 4,354 O & A’level candidates whereby if each paid the mandatory OKOSA Shs10,000; then Egesa’s group pocketed Shs43.5m plus another Shs10m the school management separately passed on to OKOSA-bringing the grand total to Shs53m. In more specific terms, Muwanga writes: “From the analysis, it was observed that a sum of Shs186,936,000 has to date been paid to OKOSA compared to Shs53,735,000 that has been collected over the same period and therefore translating into a variance of Shs133,201,000 as an over payment to OKOSA. During the investigation, the variance of Shs133,201,000 was not properly explained.” This gives Martin Mukasa (ex-H/M, whose tenure pampered Egesa most/now heading Comprehensive SS Entebbe), more reason to be sleepless regarding the impending trouble that could see him criminally prosecuted for causing the financial loss. In the same period, OKOSA received more money from candidate students (Shs43.5m) than from its registered members who already left the school (Shs10m). AG also quotes the school bursar Richard Baraza as disclosing that the over Shs186m was paid via OKOSA account no. 0140504367801 in Stanbic Bank Garden City Branch. Muwanga holds Baraza criminally liable for failing to produce any payment vouchers for this money contrary to Section 24(a-f) of the National Audit Act (2008). Muwanga hammers an additional nail in Egesa’s coffin by observing that: “My analysis indicates that OKOSA obtained more money from the school over and above the contribution by students during the period Mr. Mukasa [who simultaneously was OKOSA treasurer!] was the head teacher. This is contrary to the public expectations of an old students association who should be supporting the school but was instead receiving funds from the school. This observation was also noted by the Board of Governors I interacted with.” Muwanga adds that: “It is advisable that any such agency relationship warrants a memorandum of understanding that would enable the parties to refer to in case of any breaches. In addition, the amount over remitted to OKOSA SHOULD be recovered.” This simply means that at an opportune time, Egesa & Co will have to re-imburse the school with up to over Shs133m. One only hopes and prays that these brothers have the money otherwise they could languish in Luzira. Muwanga also makes reference to the proposed OKOSA Plaza project that Egesa used to brag about but died a natural death because OKOSA had no idea on how to start fundraising Shs12bn the project was budgeted to cost with OKOSA having 51% shareholding in the venture leaving the rest to the school. It had been spearheaded by then HM Martin Mukasa, a great friend of Egesa. The auditors also fault Egesa for improperly selling his “Magezi Software” to the school that was used for report writing by the bursar’s office but in the end the software failed to work yet the school had spent money procuring it from the vendor Egesa. Confirmation of problems associated with software came from deputy head teacher Godfrey Sekandi and ex-HM Martin Mukasa both of whom are renowned Egesa friends. Muwanga also commends the school management and BOD for blocking Egesa’s proposal to develop the school infrastructure under PPP-such as the playgrounds and Plot 19 Namirembe Road arguing this would be conflict of interest as OKOSA isn’t supposed to do any business with the school. The AG also tells off Egesa by stating that it’s the BOD and not OKOSA that is by law mandated to oversee and supervise management. Contrary to what Egesa has been pushing for so long, the AG maintains that its unacceptable conflict of interest for OKOSA to have any business relationship with the school. Riding on this newest OKOSA report by the Auditor General, well-intentioned old students have commenced efforts to re-organize OKOSA (as an association and not company limited by guarantee) and they are led by James Woods Mubiru as President and Isaac Waggala as General Secretary. “We have waited for too long and the good thing now even Egesa’s executive is divided. Many of them are backing the agenda for reforms we are demanding for. This is why OKOSA executive meetings have lately been rare because the man can hardly raise quorum. Many eminent OBs are disgusted and have vowed to shun OKOSA until there is new leadership,” Waggala says in a phone interview with Mulengera news website. He gives examples of disgusted OBs to include Katumba Wamala, Moses Ali, President Paul Kagame and Ps Robert Kayanja who sometime back confronted OKOSA officials advising them to stop their belligerent approach of fighting with everyone. Waggala says Kayanja, who donated a public address system, scaled down on his commitments putting on hold all the things he intended to fund for the good of his former school. Watch this space for more updates on this Egesa saga! For comments on this story, reach us on mulengeranews@gmail.com
