By our reporter
Kampala: Dr. Louis Kasekende, the Deputy Governor Bank of Uganda, sweated plasma at parliament on Tuesday as he tried to explain why the Central Bank refused to refund over Shs800m to the Departed Asians Properties Custodian Board (DAPCB).
Kasekende, who was appearing before parliament’s Sub-committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), laboured to explain the whereabouts of Shs800m, which was meant to be paid by BoU to the Departed Asians Properties Custodian Board (DAPCB) as compensation, after the controversial closure of commercial banks, which had a stake in some of the property.
During his appearance before COSASE last week, the DAPCB executive secretary, George William Bizibu, told legislators that BoU has not yet compensated the money they (DAPCB) had deposited in National Credit Bank before it was closed.
So while meeting Kasekende, legislators tasked him to explain why DAPCB didn’t receive the money yet some dubious companies and individuals that had claimed a stake in the property were compensated by government.
But in his explanation, Kasekende said that all people and companies with claims were compensated and that he does not remember a claim from DAPCB.
He told the MPs “We wrote out information and published in newspapers asking those who had accounts to come for their money. The Custodian Board should explain why they did not come. According to the information I have, all account holders were paid. Why is this an exception?”
Despite his explanation, the legislators were not convinced and they
demanded to know why BoU compensated some individuals at least twice for non-existent properties.
Gideon Onyango, the Samia Bugwe South MP, noted that “In Annex C, it is indicated that Plot 7 Kanjokya Street was paid for by the government to two different people with the same amount, how did this come about?”
To answer that, Kasekende noted that BoU only effected payments acting on the instructions of DAPCB.
He said “The paying agent will not answer those questions. I have not made an audit of how many properties were compensated. The information we are giving you, we got it in our archives.”
Currently, the COSASE select sub-committee chaired by Makindye East MP Ibrahim Kasozi, is conducting investigations in circumstances under which properties that were compensated for by government have been grabbed by some government officials and businessmen in Kampala. The legislators are now demanding that government officials who executed the compensation and reinstating of Departed Asians properties to various owners to table proof of compensation for each property. However, officials from the DAPCB seem to be playing Ping-Pong with the legislators.
