Speaker Kadaga accuses BoU boss Sekabira of issuing her threats, warns him

No nonsense Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has exposed Bank of Uganda’s director of Financial Markets and Development Coordination, one of the people who were under scrutiny during the Bank of Uganda probe, as intending to blackmail her and Parliament.

According to Ms Kadaga, Mr Benard Sekabira has sent her a letter which she said intends to blackmail and intimidate her as a person as well as Parliament.

Sekabira, in his letter, challenges the Speaker and Parliament over the findings of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) report.

Cosase chairman Abdu Katuntu (Bugweri County) tabled the long awaited report on the closure of seven banks Banks by the Central Bank last week, which has attracted mixed reactions, largely about the recommendations of the committee.

In the letter distributed by Ms Kadaga ahead of the debate on the report on Tuesday afternoon, the Speaker said Mr Sekabira, who was the liquidator of the closed banks was blackmailing her and Parliament. She asked parliament to study the contents of the letter and said the committee would also respond to issues he raises.

Kadaga, a dare devil, said, “Since the tabling of the report, I have received a number of documents from Mr Benard Sekabira, director financial markets, development and Mr JN Kirklands and Associates who took concerns of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations made by the committee. In order to ensure fairness, I have directed the Clerk to scan the documents and distribute to you-members so that you can take them into account when the debate starts,” Kadaga noted.

“I will give authors of the report to clarify some of the issues raised. However, I would like to take exception to part of the content of Sekabira’s letter where he says that in the event that ‘my requests herein are not met then I will have no option to conclude that you (the Speaker) and Cosase’ have treated him with bias. Honorable members, I don’t know Sekabira, I have never met him in my life so I don’t know why I should be biased against him so I find that part of the letter as an attempt to blackmail me and arm-twist parliament and the committees.”

However, she warned Sekabira who confesses to not know, to stop threatening her.

Kadaga went on. “I want to warn that no one can blackmail this House or even the Speaker and they should stop these attempts. I have no interest in the Cosase neither do I have in any committee. I don’t know this man, I have never talked to him or even sat with him and I want to remind the public that the work of the committees are protected by law and it is this House that gives work to the committees. So let no one try to arm-twist and blackmail us in performing our statutory duties given to us by the Constitution,” she said.