Museveni orders investigation into EOC’s chairperson Safia Juuko Nalule over allegations she wants to recruit corruption interdicted Mpitsi Pac Mujuni Lawrence as secretary of Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) #WhisperEyeNews
President Museveni has directed investigations into the endless mess at the Commission.
WHAT YOU MUST KNOW:
- President Museveni’s security spies will scrutinize EOC recruitment processes, budgets, expenditures, and abuse of office.
- Mpisi Mpitsi Pac Mujuni Lawrence who was interdicted on 13 counts of corruption, and convicted on his own plea is soon appearing for an interview for the same position at the commission.
President Museveni has ordered also the IGG and State House Anti-Corruption officials to investigate the current recruitment management of the equal opportunities commission.
State house sources confirm that Mr. Museveni also tasked the ISO director general, Col Charles Oluka, to join the probe on the alleged ongoing nonending corruption scandals at the commission and also asked for background checks on all the commission staff.
A copy of a petition letter, stamped and received by the ministry of gender, labor, and social development, a copy of which Whisper Eye has seen, narrates the ordeal of what is happening at the embattled EOC.
Our efforts to pick a comment from the senior presidential deputy press secretary Kirunda Frank were futile however state house sources confirmed to us that he wasn’t privy to the presidential directive to probe corruption-related matters, it is a national interest matter.
The probe comes in the wake of an ongoing corruption trial at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo involving a good number of EOC staff.
President Museveni’s probe reaction was triggered by a whistleblower an insider at the commission who petitioned to allege that the top officials in the institution are in the process of recruiting a convicted person as secretary to the commission, the Commission now led by Hajati Sophia Nalule who has moved from the frying pan to the fire according to insider sources.
One of the pertinent issues Whisper Eye has sighted from the ongoing probe is that the EOC Chairperson Hajati Sophia Nalule convinced by her Vice Chairperson Cox Ojuko has decided to let Mr. Mpitsi Pac Mujuni Lawrence who was interdicted on 13 counts of corruption-related cases and convicted on own plea to bounce back at the commission performing the same role.
We have also learnt that it’s true the interviews are underway and all the efforts are to see Mpisi bounce back a move many staff members and two of the Commission members find ridiculous under the Anti-corruption act 2019.
It’s reported due to overwhelming evidence against Mpitsi Pac Mujuni Lawrence, he entered into a plea bargain with the state and refunded Ugx 35,002,000 of the much stolen from the government.
He did accept his plea bargain agreement and was convicted upon his own plea, Mr. Mpisi Lawerence was eventually convicted on his plea bargain and the court fined him 50 currency points which is 1,000,000 UGX, or to serve one year in Luzira, he accepted to pay a fine, which he did.
It’s reported the same convict despite not being able to return to the commission as the secretary after being convicted didn’t bow out but again wrote a letter on 22/02/2022 to the chairperson Hon Nalule a diploma holder in Human Rights wanting to be reinstalled as the commission secretary despite his contract expiring in January 2022.
Our sources within the commission indicate that Mpisi had attached a Nolle Prosequi indicating that he had been left scot-free which is not within records at the DPP office.
That the chairperson without any law whatsoever went ahead to write to the Attorney General seeking a piece of legal advice even well knowing that the Anti-corruption Act of 2019/under section 46 which provides that a person who is convicted of an offense under section 2-25 shall be disqualified from holding a public office for a period of 10 years.
Why President Museveni’s own probe
The question we also raised was why President Museveni would intervene with a parallel security investigation instead of the IGG our sources said there was no harm as long as both investigating bodies are working for the same cause.
“President Museveni is very stable to order investigations as in 2019 then the whistleblower indicated corruption mess at EOC, the secretary to the commission Mr. Mpisi Lawrence the accounting officer of the commission among others were charged at the Anti-corruption court in Kololo, then he has also been convicted by own plea, the source said.
Therefore this time around president Museveni is concerned why a person who has been charged with corruption, and convicted on his plea can again come up to be interviewed by the same commission for the same post he practiced corruption, the source added.
The sources also told Whisper Eye that the investigators from security agencies have made a breakthrough into the corruption investigations, but declined to share preliminary findings.
The President, sources added, wants a thorough clean-up of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC which is mandated to ensure equal and fair access to opportunities without discrimination or marginalization.
EOC officials, who preferred anonymity so as to speak freely, said the ongoing investigations have caused anxiety among staff and many are not attending various retreats and meetings for fear of being picked up by security organs.
For instance, they questioned the legality of the ongoing recruitment of the secretary of commission by management which accepted and included already a convict who must be 10 years out of consideration for a public office.
EOC communication handles don’t indicate whether it issued an EOC notice, inviting candidates for practical interviews for the position of secretary for commission.
We have learnt that three candidate’s so far waiting for an interview for the secretary to the commission that is, Mukwaya Shaft, Mpisi Lawrence, and Mujuni Bernard.
We shall keep you posted.
