Outgoing Kampala district Woman Member of Parliament Nabilah Naggayi Sempala borrowed Shs400 million to buy a house on Canada.
The legislator together with her husband Isaac Sempala Ssebagala secured the friendly loan from former Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof Venansius Baryamureeba.
At first, Nabilah and Ssebagala first borrowed a loan of of Shs450 million still from Prof Baryamureeba to rescue a family house located in Kyadondo Block 273, Plot 5- Katuso Close, Kampala that was put on sale by Equity Bank Uganda.
“I then decided to approach your client (Prof Venansius Baryamureeba) a family friend on 13th February 2013 and he accepted to intervene and save our home. The debt and other costs related to the bank loan were met by your client which he agreed,” Nabilah told Agaba Muhairwe and Company Advocates, Prof Baryamureeba’s lawyers in a letter dated 24 February, 2021.
“I also learnt from my husband that he had another outstanding facility with Pesa Finance Limited where he had defaulted a loan payment. Therefore, we agreed as a family to request prof Venansius Baryamureeba for a friendly loan of Shs450,000,000/= to settle my husband’s indebtedness to Equity Bank (U) Ltd and Pesa Finance Ltd and also modify property…….. After discussing with my husband I signed the friendly loan agreement of Shs450,000,000/= on 1st March 2013.”
After two years, the legislator in the letter further said that she again approached Prof Baryamureeba for the second friendly loan so that her family can acquire a family home property at Edmonton A-Bt5y 3b7, 4607-152 Avenue, Canada since her family had already relocated to Canada.
“On 2nd June 2015 behalf of my family, I signed the second friendly loan agreement of Shs400,000,000/= and secured it with the same property Leasehold Register Volume 4004 Folio8, Kyadondo Block 273 Plot5 Katuso Close at Katuso whose title was already in his possession and transferred the money to my husband who already was in Canada to make payment against the property which he did. As a result of a circumstance beyond our control I was only able to remit Shs50,000,000/= to Prof Venansius Baryamureeba’s account in Equity Bank (U) Ltd on 30th January 2020 leaving a balance of Shs800,000,000/=,” Nabilah disclosed.
Prof Baryamureeba speaks out:
Prof Baryamureeba says in 2013,Nabilah approached him as a family friend who asked him to give her and husband a loan so that they could rescue their house which had been out on sale by Equity Bank, Uganda.
He says he talked to Mr. Ssebagala on Hon. Nabilah’s phone and made it clear to him that they needed to find the money within two weeks otherwise their property would be put on sale again.
“I would provide them with a friendly loan of Shs450 Million on condition that he writes to Equity Bank (U) Ltd to release the title to his wife Hon. Nabilah once the outstanding loan was cleared and at the same time he signs open ended transfer forms. He did write to Equity Bank on 27th February 2013 and also sent the transfer forms to Hon. Nabilah by courier. So on 1st March 2021, at 23.56pm I did send an email to Equity Bank (U) Ltd informing them that I had given Hon. Nabilah Shs50 Million and she had deposited it on Equity Bank (U) Ltd Loan account at 5.15pm. This was after Hon. Nabilah on behalf of her family had entered into a loan agreement of Shs450 Million witnessed by my lawyer and her lawyer with a condition that upon execution of the loan agreement, the borrower hereby acknowledges receipt of the 1st tranche of Shs50 Million and the 2nd tranche of Shs400 Million would be released upon the discharge of mortgage on LVR 4004 Folio 8 situated in Kyadondo Block 273 Plot 5 Katuso Close at Katuso in Kampala District to me. The friendly loan was for 8 years and the last date of repayment was 1st March 2021,” Prof Baryamureeba said in a statement on Monday.
“Before they could pay any instalment on the above loan of UGX 450 Million they asked me for a 2nd loan of Shs400 Million to acquire a home in Canada where they had relocated the family. This was after I had announced my plans to run for President of Uganda in May 2015. I demanded that I get details of the property they wanted to acquire and Mr. Sempala on 1st June 2015 provided the details of the property to Hon. Nabilah as a property at EDMONTON A-B T5Y 3B7, 4607-152 AVENUE, CANADA. I asked my lawyer to draft a second loan agreement against the same title in my possession, which agreement was signed on 2nd June 2015 and witnessed by my lawyer and her lawyer. The last date for payment of this loan was also 1st March 2021. Mr. Sempala had already given Nabilah the account details in Canada and she transferred the money to him immediately after receiving it on 2nd June 2015. This brought the loan to Shs850 Million. The property in Canada is in Mr. Isaac Sempala’s name and is being used as a family home. On 30th January 2020, Hon. Nabilah managed to pay Shs50 Million leaving the balance at Shs800 Million.”
The Uganda Technology And Management University (UTAMU) proprietor further disclosed that Nabilah’s husband is a dealer without any source of income who is trying to swindle his money by claiming that he is not part of the loans they took as a family.
“Mr Sempala, a Canadian citizen, came to Uganda and got a national ID, registered as a voter without applying for duo citizenship. He illegally voted on 14th January 2021 for Presidential and Parliamentary elections. For him committing fraud and defrauding people of their money is the order of the day. When Mr. Sempala returned to Uganda in October 2020 for the burial of his late brother Haj. Ntege Ssebagala, he secretly put a caveat on the property without my notice in November 2020. When Hon. Nabilah lost the Kampala City mayoral race, their chances of redeeming the property dwindled since he (Mr. Sempala) is just a dealer without any source of income. Instead of him and Hon. Nabilah approaching me and negotiating new terms, he has been misadvised to claim that he is not party to the loans. I have all the evidence and I have instructed my lawyers to proceed as per the loan agreements which provided for ‘’ failure to pay the loans by 1st March 2021, the lender shall possess the property and evict any occupants therein or dispose of the same in order to recover the amount due.”
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