STORM AT SCIENCE MINISTRY: Sh400bn NSTEI-SE Project Plagued by Irregular Recruitment, Mismanagement, and Alleged Corruption
By Our Reporter
A multi-million-dollar government project meant to position Uganda as a regional hub for science, technology, and engineering is now under fire following revelations of gross mismanagement, irregular recruitment, and allegations of corruption.
The National Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation Skills Enhancement Project (NSTEI-SEP)—a five-year, US$115 million (about sh402bn) initiative under the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST)—was established in 2019 with 80% of its funding coming from China’s EXIM Bank and the rest from Uganda’s national budget. It was expected to transform Uganda’s engineering and industrial capabilities through modern training centers in Namanve and Rwebitete, Kiruhura District.
But according to a dossier authored by a whistleblower, the project has instead become a breeding ground for nepotism, questionable recruitments, and financial mismanagement.
Facilities with promise, but leadership in turmoil
The project delivered several high-value assets, including: A state-of-the-art automotive maintenance centre in Namanve, A three-story innovation hub for scientists and innovators, The Rwebitete Engineering Training Complex, dubbed the “LDC for engineers,” equipped with over 300 pieces of engineering machinery.
These facilities were meant to train Ugandan engineers, create jobs, and generate revenue, particularly by supporting the oil and gas sector. But their operationalization has been marred by governance wrangles.
The post of Executive Secretary at UNCST—the project’s accounting officer—has remained vacant for nearly five years, despite two recruitment exercises. Instead, the Deputy Executive Secretary has been acting in a limited capacity, leaving room for the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Monica Musenero, to allegedly assert direct control.
The whistleblower claims the minister renamed the project the Engineering Development and Innovation Centre (EDIC) and shifted its operations outside UNCST oversight, even though legally the facilities remain under UNCST’s jurisdiction. EDIC reportedly operates without a board, approved structure, or officially appointed staff.
Recruitment irregularities and shadow operations
The report paints a grim picture of how staff were brought into the project. The Coordinator of NSTEI-SEP, described as having “questionable people management skills,” allegedly handpicked individuals to serve as technical experts, consultants, and administrators without following public service procedures.
Among the cited cases: Moses Agaba, referred to as a “technical expert,” has been on payroll for over two years without formal appointment, yet has participated in multiple foreign trips at the project’s expense.
Prisca Namutebi, appointed HR consultant by the Coordinator, has reportedly been abroad for over three months but continues to receive facilitation “under the guise of remote work.”
Several others have been engaged in finance, procurement, corporate strategy, and communications—all allegedly recruited without approval.
Meanwhile, a cohort of 25 young Ugandan engineers, trained at a cost of UGX 5 billion in China and Uganda, have allegedly been sidelined. Many have reportedly since quit out of frustration, despite being expected to spearhead Uganda’s engineering revolution.
Financial irregularities and audit concerns
The whistleblower further accuses the Coordinator of making unilateral financial decisions outside approved structures.
In one case, he allegedly authorized the redesign of the Namanve building’s reception area without approval from the UNCST Contracts Committee, incurring costs months after the contractor’s defect liability period had expired.
In another, he reportedly oversaw the purchase of land in 2022 that ballooned from a budgeted UGX 5 billion to UGX 8.5 billion—a UGX 3.5 billion overrun that only came to light through an Auditor General’s query.
These actions, according to the report, reveal a pattern of impunity and a “personalization of the project.”
Strategic risks for Uganda’s science and technology agenda
The allegations come at a time when President Museveni has repeatedly vowed to clamp down on corruption. Yet, as the whistleblower notes, projects under the banner of science and innovation—the very sector meant to propel Uganda into middle-income status—are being derailed by the same governance failures they were supposed to overcome.
“This impunity and continuous abuse of authority if not checked is a serious strategic risk to the country,” wrote the whistleblower, urging the President to intervene before the facilities fall into disrepair or fail to achieve their mandate.
Silence from officials
Neither UNCST nor the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation has formally responded to the allegations.
For now, Uganda’s taxpayers remain on the hook for the US$115 million loan that funded NSTEI-SEP. Whether the project will ultimately live up to its promise—or become another cautionary tale of corruption derailing development—remains to be seen.
GOT A HOT STORY? CALL/TEXT/WHATSAPP: 0777959024 OR EMAIL redpeppertips@gmail.com
About Post Author
TIP-OFF: Musenero creates “secret” un-gazetted board for EDiC project—The China-training rot repeats!
Dear Red Pepper Team,
Following your incredible exposés on the UNCST rot and the Shs 5Bn squandered on the 25 abandoned engineers trained in China, the Ministry of Science has executed another major shadow maneuver.
Dr. Monica Musenero has quietly sworn in a new “Interim Board” for the Engineering Development and Innovation Centre (EDiC) project—the very same project that the China-trained engineers were pushed out of so management “could steal without interference.”
Here is the new scandal: This new EDiC Interim Board has never been gazetted.
By running an un-gazetted “interim” board, they are successfully bypassing standard public service vetting and parliamentary oversight. This is exactly how they are protecting the corrupt procurement and recruitment loops you previously exposed; they are building a handpicked, parallel management structure completely insulated from statutory accountability watchdogs.
They have already posted pictures of the swearing-in ceremony on their social media handles x (https://x.com/NsteiSep), boasting about “financial self-sustenance.”
Please expose this legal vacuum before they completely gut what is left of the EDiC project!
Regards,
A Whistleblower.
TIP-OFF: Musenero creates “secret” un-gazetted board for EDiC project—The China-training rot repeats!
Dear Red Pepper Team,
Following your incredible exposés on the UNCST rot and the Shs 5Bn squandered on the 25 abandoned engineers trained in China, the Ministry of Science has executed another major shadow maneuver.
Dr. Monica Musenero has quietly sworn in a new “Interim Board” for the Engineering Development and Innovation Centre (EDiC) project—the very same project that the China-trained engineers were pushed out of so management “could steal without interference.”
Here is the new scandal: This new EDiC Interim Board has never been gazetted.
By running an un-gazetted “interim” board, they are successfully bypassing standard public service vetting and parliamentary oversight. This is exactly how they are protecting the corrupt procurement and recruitment loops you previously exposed; they are building a handpicked, parallel management structure completely insulated from statutory accountability watchdogs.
They have already posted pictures of the swearing-in ceremony on their social media handles x (https://x.com/NsteiSep), boasting about “financial self-sustenance.”
Please expose this legal vacuum before they completely gut what is left of the EDiC project!
Apparently they mastered the tactics of manipulating the top official, it’s Gen Muhoozi who can handle this rots transparently
Regards,
A Whistleblower.
Apparently, these individuals have mastered the tactic of manipulating top officials to protect their corrupt loops. It is going to take the intervention of Gen. Muhoozi to handle this deep-seated rot transparently.