The Electoral Commission offices on Jinja Road, Kampala. President Museveni has stopped the Electoral Commission (EC) from buying an already built office valued at Shs60 billion. PHOTO/FILE
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Why Museveni stopped Shs60b EC relocation deal
What you need to know:
- The EC will move into an office space on 7th Street in Industrial Area which was previously occupied by the National Housing and Construction Company.
President Museveni has stopped the Electoral Commission (EC) from buying an already built office budgeted at Shs60 billion, Monitor has learnt.
In a July letter, the President objected to the move to have the commission headquarters on Jinja Road in Kampala relocated to a property in Butabika, Kampala ahead of the construction of the Kampala Flyover.
Instead, the EC will move into an office space on 7th Street in Industrial Area which was previously occupied by the National Housing and Construction Company (NHCC) before settling into a permanent home at Lubowa, Wakiso District in the future.
The EC had planned to buy property sitting on an an 18-acre piece of land in Butabika, Kampala which was originally valued at Shs111 billion. The land had previously housed Gems Cambridge International School.
Another option was a four-acre piece of land in Bweyogerere valued at Shs44 billion.
“One of the brokers had inflated the prices for the preferred buildings,” a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, adding, “But also the President didn’t want to favour any[side] since he knew the owners.”
In an interview with Monitor yesterday, Mr Farouk Kirunda, the State House spokesperson, confirmed the development, saying: “I know there was a directive to this effect … but I can’t comment further because there is a team that has been directed to handle the matter.”
He added that the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) was directed to handle the matter.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja was not readily available, while Mr Julius Mucunguzi, the OPM spokesperson, declined to comment “on directives between the President and the prime minister.”
In April, the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) issued an eviction notice to the EC due to the construction of the flyover.
Monitor learnt that while the Finance ministry budgeted for Shs60 billion for the relocation, the EC had consented to a Shs77 billion deal with Property Services Limited for the property at Plot 102/104 in Butabika.
The relocation to Butabika had initially stalled after the Inspectorate of Government received a petition from a whistleblower, who requested that the process be halted due to fraud and lack of transparency allegations.
The ombudsman later allowed the relocation to go on as planned before President Museveni directed that a different option be pursued.
Mr Paul Bukenya, the EC spokesperson, told Monitor on Monday that clearance to move into a new office space had been given. He was, however, unsure about the exact destination.
“It is in our interest that we get a new location because this place has become inconvenient and a burden to Unra,” he said, adding, “The country is losing a lot of money with our stay here, but when and how we shall move from here is just a matter of days. We shall inform the public on the details as and when they come in.”
Last week, NHCC announced its relocation from their offices at 7th Street in the Industrial Area to Crested Towers where they will be sub-renting with other entities. The announcement was made in newspapers.
Daily Monitor has also learnt that the NHCC is set to officially hand over the building they have evacuated to the EC this week where they will be renting. Details of the amount the EC will be paying in rent are still scanty.
Mr Kenneth Kaijuka, the NHCC chief executive, told Monitor on Monday: “The agreement to procure a new place for EC has already been signed, but the cost of the deal will be finalised when the ground plan of the building is completed.”
According to the plan, the new EC home will be built on a five-acre piece of land in Lubowa. It will have offices, parking space, warehouses for the equipment, tally centre and nomination grounds.
The headquarters will also have a printing press for voting materials as well as stores for other documents.
Background...Relocation of EC
In 2016, Unra paid the Electoral Commission (EC) Shs20 billion in compensation for its property which would enable EC to relocate to pave the way for the construction of a flyover. Another additional Shs40 billion was released in 2019 by the government to the EC for the same, bringing to Shs60 billion the total amount for relocation.
In 2019, some of the bidders petitioned the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA) over what they called an unfair procurement process which had knocked them out of the deal.
The PPDA launched an investigation into the matter based on the law, but later found that the EC had followed the right procedure. It summarily cleared the Commission to continue with the process or advertise afresh for bidders to make proposals.
In 2022, another petition was lodged to the ombudsman for investigations indicating that one of the preferred places was located in a wetland and the procurement was riddled with fraudulent deals.
