Uganda North America Association members are scheduled to convene in Dallas, Texas at the start of best month of the year for their routine odd year convention, where new leaders are elected to run the organisation for the next two years.
This year too, the situation has gradually been hotting up as respective prospective office bearers sweet talk the voters to align them with their manifestos. Alliances have been broken and new ones entered into, friends gone, and new ones got, love, hate, truth, lies – all for purposes of the first five days of September 2023.
Renowned realtor, Patrick Ogwang and current UNAA General Secretary, Lambert Etibot are the two men vying to replace incumbent President Henrietta Nairuba Wamala who bows out after seeing out her two two-year term tenure (2019 to 2022).
Nairuba has severally been put on the sword for drumming up support for Etibot by calling various voters ahead of the crucial vote. Ordinarily, as sitting president, Nairuba is by law mandated to stay neutral in order to facilitate a fair process of electing her successor. Her involvement in the ever escalating battle has, however, not gone without due repercussions to her choice – Etibot, who many have come to identify Nairuba’s administrative misdeeds with and feel he should take punishment in his benefactor’s stead.
A number of scandals have rocked the country’s oldest and most influential diaspora community organisation in the recent month, most prominent among them being the multi billion financial scandal involving $150,000 donation from President Yoweri Museveni to the community.
According to a Whistleblower report of June 2023, the UNAA Executive allegedly received $150,000 (One hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars) from His Excellency President Museveni with the objective of strengthening the Ugandan community in North America, but the money was swindled for individual gains.
“The funds were unfortunately swindled and has apparently become a campaign matter ahead of the UNAA elections,” said the whistleblower.
Unverifiable information indicated that the alleged funds were dispatched by President Museveni, through his Senior Cabinet Minister and his Senior Advisor on Political Affairs, but unfortunately, the executive led by President Henrietta Wamala misappropriated the money during the San Francisco Convention in September 2022.
“The money was swindled by the current leadership of President Henrietta Wamala, having reduced it to partying, merrymaking heavily influenced by the greedy Senior Cabinet Minister and dubious Senior Presidential Political Advisor, hence becoming part of the misappropriated taxpayers’ money,” the Whistleblower fumed.
This publication has further learnt that UNAA, receives $100,000 (One hundred thousand United States dollars) – equivalent to Uganda Shillings 353m annually from the government, out of which $50,000 (Shs183m) is allocated as community development funds for disbursement to members, and $50,000 as contribution to organizing activities.
Apparently, some members, say there is no proof corresponding to deposits of funds in any of UNAA’s bank accounts or financial systems.
“Fraudulent activities have infiltrated UNAA to the extent that some members have abandoned the organization, whoever takes over leadership of UNAA wants to steal and go. There is a lot of mismanagement not on finances but everything,” Charles Muvawala, a member of UNAA based in Boston said.
Further revelations indicate that financial misappropriation, dishonesty, and lack of transparency have marred Uganda’s oldest North American Association. It’s no stranger to controversy and infighting, emanating from the government’s $100,000 annual contribution toward the Association, being reduced to days of extravaganza, exaggerated travel and indulgences from the greedy Senior Cabinet Minister and dubious Senior Presidential Political Advisor, who have systematically weighed in, influenced and destroyed acquaintance, friendship and unity among Ugandans in North America.
Back in February 2023, the greedy Senior Cabinet Minister and dubious Senior Presidential Political Advisor, connived with imposters from UNAA, met H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, where it’s said they conned His Excellency the President of another $150,000, in the pretext of creating NRM Chapters in North America, which would counter the opposition, yet these were in existence with its known leaders.
“Today, UNAA is like a den of thieves, backed by a greedy Cabinet Minister and a dubious SPA/Political Affairs run by an errant Association President, Henrietta Wamala, her Executive Secretary Lambert Etibot, and fraudsters in Timothy Nyonjo and Ronnie Lwanga, who are swindling and misappropriating the funds from H.E. President Museveni & government, pretending to mobilise and strengthen the Ugandan community in North America,” stated the Whistleblower.
More details emerge:
Relatedly, there are reports that indicate that UNAA’s top leadership led by Wamala is seeking another bunch of $300,000 to organize a campaign for elections, and $100,000 for the formation & strengthening of the NRM community in North America.
With that said the ongoing fraudulent actions of the greedy Senior Cabinet Minister and dubious Senior Presidential Political Advisor, which are likely to extend to other Diaspora communities, coupled with the errant UNAA President and her incompetent team, would lead to a loss of close to $550,000 of taxpayers’ money.
According to the community members, the year 2020, which they described as the first full year of the incompetent Henrietta Wamala’s operation, is the only time the administration filed taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“Last year during the UNAA annual convention, the current Treasurer failed to give a financial report to the members as required by the Organization ‘s constitution, that not being enough when a Whistleblower raised concerns about the mismanagement of UNAA funds and the corresponding IRS tax filings and the reports uploaded onto the UNAA website as a move to cover up,” Steven Osito, a Ugandan based in California said.
Shs1billion COVID-19 funds
The members also questioned the management of funds during the 2020 convention, which was slated to take place in San Francisco, but was cancelled due to COVID-19 and opted for a virtual one via Zoom.
The Whistleblower said in the post-event report allegedly prepared by the UNAA Executive Secretary, Lambert Etibot, the copies of financial returns submitted are not signed by any official, which members said raises suspicion. It is alleged that the UNAA administration used close to $275,237 (sh1b) on a Zoom Convention.
“We have demanded accountability and transparency for over a year now, but they failed to give us answers. Their budget for 2020 COVID Virtual conversation was a sham, they are so fraudulent that they cannot even account for how much they used as per their statements,” stated the Whistleblower.
The Organization has more than 120,000 community individuals with an annual budget of $200,000 to $400,000.
According to communication from UNAA Board of Trustees, signed by, its Chairperson, Ronald Kabaale, operations of the Electoral Commission were suspended until financial misappropriation and EC leadership is resolved.
“The financial reports are public documents, which should be made public for everyone to access. Community members have decided to speak up, and demand for transparency and accountability,” the Whistleblower .
Even though Nairuba denied knowledge of the alleged funds and said the only money the association receives on an annual basis, is $100,000 (about sh365.9m) which is dispatched through Uganda’s embassy in Washington DC, USA, it still seemed like those seeking more clarification were never going to give her a break.
“Whoever says $150,000 was brought to UNAA should bring evidence that it was dispatched to UNAA. Go and ask State House; we never received that money. The President has never sent money to UNAA to mobilise people here, he has never done that,” Wamala responded.
She further noted that for the years she has served as president UNAA, all donations are listed in the organisation’s financials, adding that UNAA has not had $150,000 in donations in a single year.
“How could one have used and misappropriat $150,000 and this organisation stays afloat? Does that make sense to you, as a journalist, and hopefully, you can do the maths,” she said.
At the moment, the members of the oldest Ugandan Association in the United States, want the President and Anti-Corruption Agencies & International Regulation Service, to immediately iron out the corrupt tendencies that have been ensured within UNAA.
For transparency and proper accountability, community members are demanding for a forensic audit into UNAA accounts, over allegations of financial mishandling for all taxpayers’ monies received and spent.
“It’s battering that the once big Uganda North American Association, has been left in tatters, and with such fraudulent scenarios, UNAA may not thrive,” reckoned the Whistleblower.
With no more Nairuba in office to apprehend, the community is targeting Etibot, who has been Nairuba’s closest ally in crime to occasion their revenge. To make matters worse, Nairuba has unremorsefully mobilised support for her man, further setting him up as a target for the vengeful souls of the voters.
With three weeks to the actual voting, there is still time for Etibot and team to realign their weapons to turn things around. There is already a rumored move to have Vice President candidate Charles Muvawala on their side which would swing support from Massachusetts with the biggest number of Ugandan population in his favor. This would, however, only make a difference provided his challenger, Ogwang ‘sleeps on the job.’
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