PAY US! MFI Moves to Auction NCDC Property Over Debts
A fierce financial war is brewing in Uganda’s education sector, and this time it is not about classrooms or curriculum — it is about cold, hard cash, unpaid debts, and the looming threat of government property being auctioned like scrap.
At the centre of the storm is software firm MFI Document Solutions Limited, which is now sharpening its legal claws to descend on the troubled National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) over a ballooning multimillion debt that insiders say has been ignored for years.
Sources close to the deal reveal that what started as a routine service supply agreement around 2018 has now morphed into a bitter fallout that could end in court — and potentially in the seizure and sale of NCDC properties.
The deal, we are told, was clear: MFI would provide services, and payments would be made promptly in dollars. But what followed was a trail of broken promises, piecemeal payments, and eventually, complete silence.
“They kept paying in bits and later stopped completely,” a source whispered. “Now the debt has grown with interest into millions. The bosses are fed up.”
Inside MFI, frustration has reportedly boiled over. Executives who once believed they were dealing with a credible government institution now feel deceived and cornered. Legal action is no longer a distant threat; it is fast becoming the only option left on the table.
“They were given services. They delivered. But payment? Just stories,” another insider at FMI fumed.
According to highly placed sources, current NCDC Director Bernadette Nambi Karuhanga — who at the time served as deputy — together with Finance Manager Stephen Kwiri, allegedly kept assuring MFI bosses that payment was “coming soon,” promises that ultimately never materialised.
Karuhanga has since taken over the helm, replacing former Director Grace Baguma.
Insiders say Baguma may also be hauled from retirement to answer this mess.
This service has a technology component under the watch of Moses Tuhame, Manager ICT and Multimedia.
Instead, in a shocking twist, MFI officials were reportedly told to go chase their money from the Ministry of Finance, with claims that NCDC itself was broke.
That move, insiders say, backfired spectacularly.
When the frustrated MFI team reportedly stormed the offices of Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, they were met with a cold reception.
Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi is said to have exploded in anger, dismissing the claim that the ministry should settle NCDC’s debts.
“He chased them like chicken thieves,” a source revealed dramatically. “He told them to go neck to neck with NCDC because money is always released to them.”
We have further established that NCDC bosses have now rushed to their parent Ministry of Education and Sports seeking a bailout. In a twist, the same officials are reportedly using their high-level connections within the ministry to pile pressure on MFI bosses, in a bid to force them to back down.
That outburst has only deepened the crisis — exposing cracks not just in finances, but in accountability and governance.
NOT ONLY THAT
Behind this debt scandal lies an even darker picture painted by the December 2025 Auditor General’s report — a report that has torn into NCDC like a bulldozer.
The findings read like a horror script.
For over 20 years, NCDC has sat on UGX 392.49 million in uncollected receivables — money that may now never be recovered. At the same time, out of UGX 1.97 billion in payables, a staggering UGX 1.96 billion has been left unpaid for over a year, in blatant violation of financial regulations.
“This is not just oversight, this is negligence,” an insider charged.
The numbers get even worse.
Out of a planned UGX 292.4 billion strategic budget, only UGX 190.35 billion was secured, leaving a massive UGX 102 billion hole. The impact has been devastating — with only 54 percent of planned activities fully implemented, while 37 percent never even took off.
Even revenue collection is in tatters. Out of UGX 116.47 million expected in non-tax revenue, only UGX 43.94 million was realised — a dismal 37.7 percent performance that has put Planning Unit boss Ambrose Sansa under intense scrutiny.
And on the ground? The results are equally grim.
Out of outputs worth UGX 16.25 billion, only UGX 608 million worth were fully implemented. The rest remain partially done or hanging in limbo.
For an institution tasked with shaping Uganda’s education system, the figures are nothing short of explosive.
Meanwhile, teachers across the country are still reeling from the controversial rollout of the new lower secondary curriculum that has been widely criticised for poor implementation.
“We were thrown into something we barely understood,” one teacher lamented. “Now learners are the ones suffering.”
As if that is not enough, a silent but vicious power struggle is tearing through NCDC’s top ranks.
Insiders speak of a fallout that saw Dr. Karuhanga replace Dr Grace Baguma. Those still nursing loss wounds include Richard Irumba and Ssembirige Patrice who were both reportedly eyeing the top job.
At the same time, the Governing Council led by George Ladaah Openjuru is facing accusations of weak oversight, as insiders question how such deep-rooted problems were allowed to spiral out of control.
Now, with MFI threatening court action, the stakes have never been higher.
If the firm follows through, NCDC could face the unthinkable — attachment and sale of its assets to recover the debt.
A national institution… auctioned.
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