State Minister for Investment Evelyn Anite (left) and Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) Director General Robert Mukiza during a function. PHOTO | FILE
State Minister for Investment Evelyn Anite and Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) Director General Robert Mukiza have once again clashed over allegations of corruption.
Both sides have accused each other of corruption, conflicts of interest, and personal motives.
In what were intended to be letters of reconciliation and forgiveness, the two have instead conveyed a tense tone.
On July 3, 2024, Minister Anite wrote a letter to Mr Mukiza stating that she had forgiven him and was prepared to work towards a corruption-free Uganda Investment Authority. However, the letter also listed a series of allegations, prompting an immediate response from Mr Mukiza.
“Following the President’s advice, once again, I forgive you for your allegations and encourage you to reflect on this situation…,” Anite said, adding, “I look forward to working together with Uganda Investment Authority with no corruption and no impunity for the social economic transformation, industrialisation and job creation for Ugandans.”
However, in a July 23 letter, Mr Mukiza responded accusing the minister of insulting him on social media without provocation.
“Honorable minister, as you know, there is no type of insult and defamation you haven’t thrown at me using your social media platforms for over a month now. I restrained myself from responding to you via social media because I have a strong conviction that public servants like you and I shouldn’t resolve our issues on such platforms,” he said in a letter to the minister.
“…in relation to the President’s guidance that we forgive each other for the good of the organisation we superintend and also being a strong Christian, I hereby declare that from the bottom of my heart, I forgive you for the trauma you have put my family and I through. I also pray that this should not happen again for the good of the institution…” he said.
Mr Mukiza, however, stated that based on previous interactions, Minister Anite is not someone who can be trusted to follow through on her public statements.
“During our interaction with the President, we were urged to forgive each other and forge a working relationship but no sooner had the meeting ended, than you started launching sustained, malicious and degrading words towards me on social media,” he said.
In her letter, Ms Anite had also accused the UIA boss of lying to the President when he said she had personal interests in the operations of the authority.
She added that the UIA boss had acknowledged the illegal payment of the honoraria and had promised to pay back the money.
“However, I was taken aback when, in an attempt to deflect from the misuse of funds, you accused me of being driven by personal motives as I was fulfilling my duty as a minister accountable for ensuring transparent investment practices,” Minister Anite added.
On the legitimacy of Sheikh Muhammad Bin Juma Al Maktoum, the investor behind the Uganda Oil Refinery project, Ms Anite said she reached out to the Ugandan embassy in Abu Dhabi to clarify his identity after bloggers accused him of being an imposter and a conman.
On June 11, Uganda’s ambassador to UAE Zaake Kibedi wrote back clarifying that Sheikh Muhammad Bin Juma Al Maktoum was a member of the Dubai royal family.
“This is to inform you that Sheikh Mohamed Bin Juma Al Maktoum is a member of the extended royal family of the Emirate of Dubai. Please find herewith attached, details on the relationship of Sheikh Mohamed Bin Juma Al Maktoum, with the ruling royal family of the Emirate of Dubai,” the letter said.
Mr Mukiza, however, said this was unnecessary as the Sheikh “is not only a great friend of Uganda but a reliable investor”. He said there was no way the government would have contracted a conman to construct a 60,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Uganda.
He accused the minister of engaging in a smear campaign against the investor and believing in what bloggers specifically created to tarnish his image.
“I expected you to be preoccupied with how to tackle and dismiss the glaring misinformation about one of Uganda’s most promising investors but was horrified to discover that you too shared the same views with those who were cyber harassing him,” he said.
The UIA boss also accused the minister of hiding the truth about the investor even after confirming that he is a legitimate person from a royal family and questioned her motive for doing that.
“I, therefore, stand by what I told the President about this matter and at no time, did I mislead him as you continue to allege. In fact, I humbly request that you apologise to the Sheikh and his family for the defamatory statements you made against them,” he demanded.
