Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja’s office has been told to clear millions of Shillings in debts on transport within New York City during her recent visit in which she attended two events. It has now emerged that Prime Minister Nabbanja
Last month, Nabbanja was in New York at the invitation of the President of the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Women Executive Director to participate in the Women Leaders’ Forum. Nabbanja, who is the chief minister in President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s cabinet of ‘fishermen and fisher women,’ is said to have travelled with a dozen people, all of whose travel was funded by the Ugandan tax payers.
According to Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations based in New York City, United States, the Mission hired the services of NY Executive Services to offer Prime Minister Nabbanja and her delegation transport services for four days — from September 17 to September 21, 2022. However, the vehicle and driver from NY Executive Services worked overtime, meaning that Ugandan tax payers have to pay more money to this company to compensate the driver and clear extra toll fees.
On September 29, Ambassador Ayebare wrote to Keith Muhakanizi, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister, requesting for payment for over time and toll fees accrued during Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja’s visit. PS Muhakanizi, who was until July 2021 the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), and Secretary to the Treasury (PSST), received Ambassador Ayebare’s letter the following day.
“As you are aware, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister was invited by the President of the General Assembly and the Executive Director of UN Women to attend the Women Leaders Forum on 20 September 2022. The Mission hired a vehicle for the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister and her delegation from NY Executive Services from 17 to 21 September 2022. However, the car and driver were used beyond the agreed working hours, which attracted an additional charge of US$10,313.75 for overtime and Toll Fees,” wrote Ayebare before attaching the invoice.
He has now told PS Muhakanizi to remit the money, about Shs39.4m, to the Mission Account, warning that delays will make Uganda pay more in surcharges. The money was to be paid in a Citibank Account in the name of Permanent Mission of Uganda to the UN based in the New York. “This is therefore to request that the money be remitted to the Mission Account as soon as possible so that the invoice is settled. Please note that delays in payment of the invoice will attract surcharges,” wrote Ambassador Ayebare.
There have been reports that Uganda’s government is broke but PSST Ramathan Ggoobi recently insisted that government has the money it needs to run. But Museveni has been trying to bail out some well-connected businessmen whose enterprises have been battered by the effects of the Covid19 pandemic that has negatively affected the economy, led to the closure of business and loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. A few weeks ago, it emerged that Museveni had directed PM Nabbanja to save a tycoon choking on debts and bank loans. (Read Story Here).
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Back to Nabbanja, her appointment over a year ago shocked many Ugandans with vocal opposition MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda saying Nabbanja was not even fit to become a CEO of a garbage collecting company. But the now very powerful lady from Kakumiro fired back at Ssemujju. (Read Story Here).
