Michael Atwakiire Bitunga
Sheema: Members of Kabwohe United SACCO are crying foul after their area councilor allegedly embezzled Shs30m from their SACCO, which has led to its total collapse.
Julius Tumusiime, the Councilor Nyakambu ward in Sheema district, is alleged to have embezzled the said money from the SACCO which he helped to start a few years back. Kamagara Kariisa, a member of the SACCO, told SpyUganda that;“Tumusiime convinced me to join his SACCO saying that it was mainly to help us to fight poverty and live a good life but he has instead worsened our lives. He convinced me that if I opened an account in his SACCO it would help us acquire loans faster. I accepted and opened it but he later changed colours like a chameleon”. Remember there are other members who had loans. He (Tumusiime) kept on receiving portions and no one knows where he put that money.”
Benard Nyakantu, also a member, said that he had deposited Shs870,000 on his account and that when he heard that the SACCO was no more, he tried to reach Tumusiime, the SACCO General Manager for his money, but he was told to wait and up to now he has never got it. Another member, an old lady who preferred anonymity said that; “If he says that I was the treasurer, let him come and show us my office. Do I have qualifications to be a treasurer? We want our money, he should first give us our money and then he returns to exile”.
Charles Nkuruho, the Mayor Masheruka town council, where the SACCO was located, told SpyUganda that SACCO members last month went to his office crying for help to locate the the man Saying he had taken their money, but when he called Tumusiime he told him that instead the SACCO had shifted office but it was still running normally! “The man told me on phone that he just transferred office from Nyakambu to Kabwohe, but he couldn’t tell me the exact location”, he said.
When our reporter contacted Tumusiime on phone over the matter he said; “Those people who are complaining that I embezzled their money are ignorant”
