Aviation police with sister Security agencies at Entebbe International Airport have arrested one of the Richest Ugandans under 40 over embezzlement of public funds.
John Abouf Turyagyenda Aka (JAT) was apprehended at Entebbe International Airport while escaping the country to Morocco trying to chicken out on fraud charges that he has orchestrated within Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
JAT, is said to have amassed massive wealth through huge cuts obtained from all contractors within the energy sector.
HE. Gen. Yoweri K. Museveni has personally been superintending over a small unit of various trusted personnel from key security agencies led by a no-nonsense Woman Member of Parliament from one of the Greater Bushenyi Districts that has traversed the whole country looking at the massive fraud that has been on-going under the supervision of John Turyagyenda who is said to be the fulcrum of all the corruption in the Ministry of Energy especially with the electricity projects.
The syndicate by Mr. Turyagyenda is said to have swindled over US$ 120 Million over the past 5 years by creating fake schemes in some places especially Northern Uganda while in other places they would buy fake materials at exorbitant prices costing the government billions of shillings that they have stacked in places like Dubai and South Africa.
Turyagyenda is said to be the architect of the delay in the project to electrify all the sub counties and areas surrounding within a radius of 2KM from the sub county Headquarters all over the country.
One of the staff in this cover unit who did not want to reveal his identity because of the sensitivity of the matter, stated that the country would have been fully electrified by now, but a lot of resources have been swindled by Turyagyenda and his cohorts in Ministry of Energy along with other government officials in Ministry of Finance and NRM Secretariat.
It is said that a number of these officers have brought substandard companies to be given contracts to take on the big project due to the kickbacks that are being offered by the company that is said to have bought off TBEA, the original company that bid for this US$ 212 Million project.
Efforts to talk to REA staff were futile, because most of the officers within the technical operations directorate under Mr. Godfrey Werikhe have been under investigations by the President who is yet to make his final decision on the action to take.
Spy Uganda has also noted that these fraudsters are said to have corrupted all institutions of Government denying justice when sought by the various stakeholders in the Energy sector most especially the local sub-contractors who have petitioned both Parliament and the President.
This comes days after President Yoweri Museveni sounded a strong warning to all those that are involved in soliciting bribes and other tendencies of corruption, especially from foreign investors that they will be crushed and be dealt with decisively.
“We are very ready to fight and crush corruption. If they disturb you, find a way of mentioning it to your Ambassador. He or she will whisper it to me and you will soon see the casualties,” he said.
President Museveni reiterated that once the country deals with and eliminates corruption, the remaining tasks will be introduction of irrigation to stabilize agriculture and increasing remuneration of scientists to boost health and research in the country. He was happy that Uganda has been able to realize growth amidst such elements like cost pushers in business, in transport, electricity, high bank interest rates, among others. He noted that as some of these elements have been addressed, the national economy will grow much faster than before.
