By Our Reporter
The chairman of the police Exodus Sacco Asp Kalulu Henry is in attempts to commit suicide over alleged missing police Exodus Sacco money worth five Billion (5bn),TheSpy can report.
Fear and misery is hovering over ASP Kalulu’s head following the fact that over 2000 senior police officers who have since been reportedly denied access to their savings in the police Sacco have now petitioned the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to investigate where their savings could have gone.
Senior police officers whom our reporter talked to over the weekend on condition of anonymity told TheSpy Uganda that their petition to IGG came after they got information that their savings worth Shs 5bn was missing on their accounts.
“We want the IGG to intervene and ask the Chairman of the Sacco where our savings have gone because we are not allowed to access our money,” one of the senior police officer told us.
The office of the IGG when contacted by TheSpy Uganda, accepted to have received the petition from whistle blowers in police and that investigations would soon kick off.
“Some concerned and aggrieved members from Uganda Police have petitioned the IGG for investigations into their Sacco and investigations will soon start,” an official from IGG’s office whom we shall not reveal for now said on phone.
A senior police officer further told us that he has saved with the police Sacco for over two years but he has been denied his money.
“Can you imagine i have been saving shs 100,000 every month with Exodus for two years but when i went to withdraw my money to pay school fees for my children i was informed i have no savings!. I expected to have saved more than Shs 2m and wanted to use it to pay school fees for my children but i was shocked when one of the accountants informed me that i have no savings on my account. Where did it go when every month they deduct Shs 100,000 on my salary,” the officer wondered.
He further explained he was told if he wanted to access his savings he must apply for a loan which he would pay with interest.
“My brother even if you saved with us for over ten years but when you don’t apply for a loan you will never access your savings so the only option for you to access your money is to apply for a loan,” a staff with police Sacco told this reporter.
Another group of cadet police officers were interviewed amidst tears saying that for the last two years they have been in police force, they have not been able to access their savings.
“When we were almost completing training at Police training school in Kabalye, we were all forced to fill the forms for joining police Sacco and every officer has been saving shs 100,000 monthly but when we went to claim for our money we were told we have no savings with them,” one of the police cadets said.
A female cadet officer added that they want the IGP and IGG to find out who is taking their money and for what reasons.
She said that they passed out 10000 cadets and each saves shs 100,000 monthly meaning cadets only have saved more than shs 2bn in just two years.
“To tell you that these people are cheating us, they gave a code on how to check our savings with Sacco but whenever we try that code, we receive the notification that the system is down,” she added.
“Those people have been deducting shs 50000 from my salary every month for the last 48 months and how come i was told that my saving balance is shs zero, where did my money go every month i receive a message from Sacco saying 50000 has been cut off from my salary,” Another cadet officer queried.
A source from Sacco told us that police officers who save without getting loans don’t have interest on their savings.
“The Sacco does not put interest of police savings but charges interests on the loans officers get which is not good. Then someone saves his or her money for a period beyond six months, he should get interest from his money because this Sacco operates like a bank,” an official from Sacco told us.
He further revealed to us that the Sacco operates illegally according to monitory terms because it is not regulated by the Bank of Uganda.
“This Sacco generates money in billions but Bank of Uganda is not aware of its existence and that is the reason why most police officers are cheated,” she said.
She further told us that even the term of office for Sacco Chairman ASP Henry Kalulu and his board expired but elections have not been held to elect new board.
Another member told us that during the term of former IGP General Kale Kayihura most people especially businessmen in town used to borrow their money at shs zero interest rate to do their business and buy lands.
“Gen Kale would call Kalulu and instruct him to release millions to civilians and would return the same money after some time with no interest and we would not ask,” she said.
When we contacted the Inspector General of Police Martin Okoth Ochola about the Sacco issue, he accepted that there was a mess in the police Sacco and invited us in his office for further discussion.
However we could not get him during the day as his known mobile phone was off.
Efforts to get Kalulu who is still acting as Chairman for a comment were futile as his number was off by press time.
