UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News |Minister of Gender, Betty Amongi, has shed light on a fraudulent land deal involving the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and the Muljibhai Madhvani family. During a select committee investigation into the operations of NSSF, the Minister revealed that the Fund requested to purchase 400 hectares of land along the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway for USh400 billion. However, the government valuer estimated the cost at USh246.1 billion.
Minister Amongi declined to approve the purchase after the NSSF management failed to provide a due diligence report, land title, and other relevant documents. She also accused the former Managing Director, Richard Byarugaba, of falsely claiming that the NSSF Board and the Minister of Finance had approved the project.
Additionally, Minister Amongi rejected the Board’s proposal to allocate US$1 million for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to construct a Judiciary court. Instead, she advised the Board to use the money to support savings groups for low-salary earners and suggested negotiating for the construction of an industrial court that hears workers’ cases.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Aggrey Kibenge, confirmed the USh400 billion was part of the NSSF budget estimates for the current financial year. On the other hand, the Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija, stated that he last heard about the land deal four years ago and directed NSSF to carry out due diligence at that time.
Minister Amongi’s testimony has shed light on the fraudulent land deal and has put pressure on the NSSF to be more transparent in its operations.
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