GENERALS & MONEY: Museveni Generals, Ministers in Ugly Fight Over Juicy Russian Company Deal

Two retired UPDF major generals, former bush war combatants and current cabinet ministers in President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s government have sharply disagreed over the digital number plates deal, a multi-billion project, awarded to a Russian firm.

Maj Gen (Rtd) Jim Muhwezi is the minister of security while Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire is in charge of internal affairs. They are both elected MPs representing their constituents in the 11^th Parliament, and also sitting in cabinet which usually sits on Mondays.

Yet even when they have a lot in common, Otafiire (Ruhinda – NRM) and Muhwezi (Rujumbura – NRM) seem to be in some ugly fight over the digital number plates deal, with the internal affairs minister raising a red flag over the same, and the security minister defending it with all his might.

In two separate parliamentary committee interactions on the same matter, Otafiire and Muhwezi have expressed their disagreements on Russian firm Joint Stock Company Global Security’s digital number plate project and a decision to increase the costs of digital number plates.

Otafiire has accused Muhwezi and his security ministry of sidelining the Uganda Police Force (UPF) which falls under the Ministry of Internal Affairs yet these are supposed to be key stakeholders in the implementation of the digital number plates project.

The general from Mitooma also opposed a decision by Muhwezi and his team to increase the price of each number plate from Shs150,000 to Shs714,300!

But Muhwezi has fired back at Otafiire, labelling him a liar.

Muhwezi says that Otafiire has been part of cabinet meetings that discussed the digital number plates deal and that he can therefore not attempt to disown the same in public.

Although Otafiire had told the committee that Russian firm Joint Stock Company Global Security failed the due diligence test as undertaken by a team from police, Muhwezi insisted nobody would stop the project.

He also claimed that contrary to Otafiire’s submission before the committee on Tuesday, August 22, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was implementing the project alongside other partners.

The Rujumbura County MP accused his counterpart from Ruhinda of having some personal interests in the project. Muhwezi insisted that the responsible ministries were working well with his security docket.

“The works and security ministries are speaking with one voice. Otafiire doesn’t speak for this project. He is speaking for himself and his interests,” said Muhwezi.

Meanwhile, there was shock after it was revealed that Minister Kahinda Otafiire’s Hard-Hitting Letter trashing the digital number plates project was Hidden from Museveni as More Dirt About Russian Company’s Digital Number Plate Deal is Exposed. (See Details Here).

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