How Nabbanja saved the day as shs530m donated by Ham to Covid task force survived being stolen

On June, 8, a few minutes after President Museveni appointed Robinah Nabbanja as the new Prime Minister, former Aruu County MP, Odonga Otto warned against writing her off, for she is a tough woman.

“Make no mistake the choice of Hon.Nabbanja as Premier is no joke. Acting more often as a "semi-literate village belle" Hon. Nabbanja is a woman of action, she will even remove food from a minister's mouth if one is eating during work hours,” Otto tweeted.

Fast forward, on July,2, 2021, almost three weeks after Odonga Otto’s warning, the same came to pass as the Prime Minister nipped a deal involving shs530 million in the bud as it was almost stolen from her office.

On Friday afternoon, city businessman, Hamis Kiggundu popularly known as Ham donated shs530 million to the Covid task force.

The money, according to the businessman was meant to facilitate the purchase of Covid vaccines for Ugandans.

The money was received by Prime Minister Nabbanja who is the chairperson of the task force at the Office of the Prime Minister.

However, during the handover, Ham, as he is commonly known told the meeting that he had created an account to which the money should go as well as other contributions by the private sector.

“We have created an account with Stanbic bank where Dr.Musenero will be a signatory and a few other members that government might choose for this particular fund. Other private members may come and we support government. The money will go directly to this account to contribute towards the purchase of vaccines,” the city businessman said in front of cameras.

However, Nabbanja didn’t welcome the idea and insisted that the money can only go to an account earlier opened up by government as President Museveni had directed.

“In fact, ministers are not allowed to be signatory to those accounts,” the Prime Minister guided.

According to sources at the Office of the Prime Minister, businessman, Emmanuel Katongole who is a member on the task force advised Musenero against being a signatory to any bank account as the same would land her into problems.

Another source told this website that later, Nabbanja directed staff at OPM to deposit the money in the bank before she went for other meetings that lasted until almost 6pm, late in the evening.

However, on return at around 6pm, Nabbanja was astonished to learn that the money had not yet been banked.

“When she requested why the money had not been banked, the staff told her that it was late and that banks had already been closed,” the source told the Nile Post.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister was also astonished to learn that businessman, Ham was still around OPM despite having donated the money almost four hours back.

On inquiring, Nabbanja was told that that the businessman was waiting for documentation from her to confirm receipt of the money, prompting her to order her staff to do it.

“When the document was brought for her to sign, it indicated that the Prime Minister had received the money but  that she had decided that the money be kept in her office,” another source told this website.

It is said that on seeing the document, Nabbanja fumed and suspected some foul play from some of her staff.

She refused to sign it.

Plan B

The source told this website that later, the Prime Minister called the manager for Stanbic bank’s Garden City branch who asked her to take the money to the bank.

Meanwhile, as Nabbanja prepared to take the money to the bank, an unknown bullion van arrived prompting her to suspect something was amiss.

She then directed her security to use her own vehicle to take the money to the bank, having earlier informed the manager at Garden City.

The shs530 million was later banked.

When contacted for a comment on the matter, Nabbanja confirmed banking the money herself but didn’t provide details of the circumstances leading to such a move.

“I took the money myself to the bank at Garden City at around 6pm,” she said on phone before she hang up.