MPs’ DEBT AGONY! Kibanda South Mp Karubanga faces arrest over sh5m loan
A voter has accused Kibanda South County Member of Parliament Jacob Karubanga Ateenyi of refusing to pay back a sh5m loan advanced to him to finance his election bid in 2021.
Omara Samuel Apoo, a resident of Bweyale Town Council in Kiryandongo district alleges that during the 2021 elections campaign, one David Owonda, a then campaign agent of Karubanga approached him for financial help.
Owonda reportedly told Omara that the Karubanga team was badly in need of campaign money and he requested a loan with promises of paying back in one month’s time.
Omara says by then he had some savings of sh5m which he planned to use to enroll for a diploma in medical laboratory technology.
It is alleged that he was convinced to part with this money to help Karubanga clinch to victory and thereafter all his money would be paid back and even have his diploma education catered for by the latter.
Karubanga, reportedly sure of victory, promised to even secure a State House scholarship for Omara.
Omara would later reach a gentleman agreement during a meeting at Max Hotel in Kigumba and handed over the sh5m to Karubanga in the presence of his campaign agent Owonda.
Karubanga went on to win the election after defeating incumbent Jack Odur Lutanywa.
Omara now alleges that was the last he heard about Karubanga in regards to the sh5m loan.
He says all efforts to recover the money have been futile.
To make matters worse even the promised scholarship did not come.
That even when he made pleas after his sister got sick and later passed, Mp Karubanga still ignored him.
“At sometime my sister in Lira got very sick. Unfortunately the sickness couldn’t be managed in Lira so we were referred to Mulago. I had no money. I tried to contact Karubanga to pay my money to support my sister but he failed. I had no option but to take her back home where she died three days later.”
An intention to sue notice was served to Karubanga but Omara says it was not honoured.
A small claims demand notice 008 of 2024 from Kiryandongo magistrates Court in Kigumba was also filed but never honoured.
Omara now wants the Parliament and NRM leadership to rein in and have Mp Karubanga cough this money.
“I request the speaker of parliament and the top NRM party officials to help me recover my money so that I can start some small business since I don’t have a job. I even have no hope of going back to school because I lost my life savings [sh5m] to Karubanga in the name of financing his campaigns. He even lied to me about a scholarship,” Omara pleads.
MP KARUBANGA SPEAKS OUT
This publication contacted Mp Karubanga. He doeos not deny knowing Omara. He also doesn’t deny receiving sh5m from Omara to finance his campaigns.
He however denies the claim that the sh5m was supposed to be paid back.
Karubanga told this publication that during the 2021 election campaigns, many of his supporters indeed expressed willingness to support him morally, financially and in kind.
That indeed he was introduced to Omara by one Owonda-campaign agent.
“He [Owonda] told me that Omara was among my supporters who loved me so much and was willing to support me financially. I said ‘that’s fine’. That’s how he ended up supporting my campaign like others. He gave me sh5m. My team was winning and everyone wanted to support me in any way. They wanted to be on the winning team,” Karubanga explained.
He added: “I was shocked that he turned around and said he had lent me money. I’m not aware that he lent me money. There was no agreement that I had to refund that money.”
On the issue of education support, Karubanga says it is Omara to blame.
“He [Omara] also told me that he wanted to further his studies by pursuing a diploma in medical laboratory technology medicine. I promised to support him once I went through. Indeed after the elections I reminded him to proceed to apply and get an admission. I later learnt that he had failed to get admitted. Then I wondered what happened. How can you support a person who has even failed to qualify and get admitted?” he wondered.
Karubanga insists that he has never abandoned whoever helped him during the 2021 election campaigns in one way or the other, including Omara.
“If we can get Mobile Money records, you can see that I have been sending him [Omara] some money sh200,000, sh500,000 and not that I’m paying back the money he gave me but just helping him as a friend and someone who once helped me…. And he is not the only one,” Karubanga stressed.
Karubanga is not alone.
On 30th April, 2024, the MP for Rwampara East in Rwampara district, Julius Tusiime Karuhanga was served with an intention to use notice by lawyers from MARK MWESIGYE & CO. ADVOCATES on behalf of their client Anne Natwijuka.
It is alleged that on 1st August, 2023 Mp Karuhanga approached Natwijuka for a soft and friendly loan to a tune of sh5m.
He was supposed to pay back shs6.3m as the full and final payment and in a 30 days period or by the end of the same month (August).
Karuhanga reportedly did not fulfill his part of the bargain.
Recent reports indicate that many MPs are swimming in debts and many have been jailed since 2021.
Notable ones include Davis Kamukama, Patrick Mutono, Robert Mwesigwa Rukaari and Yovan Adriko.
Last year, the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, issued a stern warning to moneylenders, threatening to cancel the Memorandums of understanding (MoU) signed between parliament and some moneylenders.
Her decision came in response to reports of moneylenders harassing members of parliament (MPs) with exorbitant interest rates. Among expressed her concern over MPs frequently ending up in court due to these harsh conditions and demanded that the moneylenders behave appropriately.
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