Energy Mafias Debunked Part I: Billions Swindled, Min. Of Energy Stuck With The Untouchable REA Mafias

By the Capital Times Investigative Unit

Two key officials of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the Ministry of Energy have deceitfully kept themselves in their offices despite being found guilty of causing serious financial losses to the Agency over the past several years.

An investigation report by the Office of the Inspectorate of Government addressed to the Chairman of REA Board Mr. Robert Kasande who also doubles as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy on 17^th January 2020 found the two officials Mr. Godfrey Khaukha Werikhe the Deputy Executive Director in charge of Technical Operations and Mr. John Abouf Turyagyenda, the Manager Project Designs Management and Implementation to have caused massive financial loss and exhibited total negligence by ignoring supervision of the contracted projects leading companies not to meet compliance and required international standards.

Following the President’s directive to extend the contract of the REA Executive Director Mr. Godfrey Turyahikayo, in mid-May 2019 (see – https://chimpreports.com/letter-museveni-warns-muloni-against-sacking-rea-boss-turyahikayo-probes-agencys-corruption/,) our investigative team has discovered that  numerous investigations have been conducted by almost all agencies in the country on the key staff of REA of which in a recent communication seen, the two officers in the Technical Operations Directorate are supposed to be interdicted and detained as further investigations are conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of AIGP Grace Akullo.

The above order to the CID has not yielded anything so far as the Capital Times investigative team has discovered. Indeed, our team has accessed the whole document from the IGG which will be made exclusively available to our readers by the end of day. The country has been plunged into total darkness by a well-knit team of mafia that spreads from officials of the Ministry of Energy, Technical Operations Directorate of REA, UEDCL, CID, IGG, the New Vision, Donor agencies especially the African Development Bank, Engineering Registration Board (ERB) and various contractors and materials suppliers especially the Asian companies.

While the report of the IGG fully implicates Mr. John Turyagyenda and Mr. Godfrey Werikhe for causing financial loss and negligence, the IGG watered down this report by sending these culprits for further disciplinary by the non-existence REA Board. It is non-existing in the sense that during the reigns of PS Kabagambe Kallisa and former Minister Eng. Irene Muloni, they devised a strategic plan to leave the Executive Director with responsibilities of administration and staff welfare. Here, the position of a Deputy Executive Director in charge of Technical Operations was created but he was also empowered to answer to the Board Chairman. This creation moved Mr. Turyagyenda to become the fulcrum of the corruption in the agency since he was the overall supervisor of all contracts and payments for projects would be only approved by his team answerable to the Deputy Executive Director and with the nod of the PS/Chairman of the Board.

Summary part of the IGG’s Report and findings

It is no coincidence that the report of the IGG finds cases of defective and substandard materials such as transformers, electric poles that are rotting, poor workmanships, irregular certification and validation of payments that have caused the Government to lose over Fifty Billion Ugandan Shillings (UGX 50 Billion) for only the Six (06) lines that were investigated. For example, the Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Godfrey Werikhe personally commissioned the Kitgum – Padibe line which was built with Mr. John Turyagyenda as the Project Engineer with only one metering unit installed contrary to the two that were paid for by REA. In another instance, Mr. Turyagyenda approved the payment of 4.9 Billion shillings to A2Z Maintenance and Engineering Company for the Ibanda – Kazo – Rushere line without the a consultant hence undermining the Defects Liability Period under the contracts leading the company to do a substandard job hence causing constant power outages and blowing up of transformers which has cost the utility companies a lot of money in maintenance and operations.  Recently, TheSpyUganda broke a story of how Mr. John Turyagyenda was arrested by operatives from President’s Office at Entebbe Airport https://www.spyuganda.com/top-corrupt-govt-official-arrested-at-entebbe-airport-fleeing-the-country-after-swindling-over-us120m/ and further details on the deal he was heading for in Morocco will be released in our series.

Summary part of the IGG’s Report and findings

Our team has been informed that at least three agencies ISO, IGG and a special unit reporting directly to the President have all but finished all their investigations and made their recommendations for the interdiction of some staff in both the Ministry of Energy and REA. This got both the PS Kasande and his Energy line Ministers Simon D’Ujanga and Maria Goretti Kituttu all unaware as Former Minister Irene Muloni had assured the majority of staff that her REA blue eyed boys are untouchable. The Minister is now stuck with the way forward, as the Executive Director Godfrey Turyahikayo has stated that the Board Composition needs to be filled before any call for a disciplinary committee to be formed and the resolutions of the IGG are not an internally instituted investigation, hence need for the Chairman of the Board to attend to the letter as requested.

In part 2 of the Energy Mafias series, we bring to you the background to the cliques that have brought the country on its knees when it comes to electricity distribution for the past 6 years and how they have failed the President’s vision to light all homes by 2020. The energy sector has been receiving an almost constant budget of over 3 Trillion every Financial Year since 2013/14.

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