By James Kasirivu
The Police Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) has started investigating the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party officials over an alleged theft of money meant to facilitate its candidates who stood for the just concluded special interest group’s elections.
Sources in police said NRM Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba wrote to the Force and called for an investigation against the party district secretaries who allegedly pocketed the money that was supposed to facilitate its flag bearers in the youth, the elderly and People with Disabilities (PWDs) positions.
Mr Emmanuel Dombo, the director for communication in the party, told journalists at the weekend that they had provided Shs5,000 as facilitation to every party flag bearer who participated in the special interest groups (SIGs) elections held at village level.
The detectives have been sent to different districts with more focus on Buganda and Busoga sub-regions. They will interrogate NRM officials suspected to have embezzled the money.
The spokesperson of the CID, Mr Charles Twiine, could neither confirm nor deny the commencement of the investigations at the NRM headquarters.
“It is true NRM wrote to us about the issue. However, I haven’t been briefed by the detectives about their course of action,” Mr Twiine said yesterday.
It is alleged that the money that was sent to leaders wasn’t delivered to the beneficiaries.
Police sources said they are investigating whether there was connivance between the NRM officers at the district level and senior officers at the party headquarters.
Yesterday, Mr Dombo confirmed that they have written to the police for an investigation.
“We got complaints from our flag bearers that they didn’t receive the funds. We wrote to the police to help us with the investigations. Some of the officials are now refunding the money through Resident District Commissioners and the NRM leaders,” he said.
However, he declined to state the amount of money that they suspect to have been stolen. Mr Dombo further said the returned funds will be handed over to the party headquarters.