In a decisive move aimed at protecting investor interests, Col. Edith Nakalema, head of the State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU), has stepped in to address a serious case of extortion involving a senior staff member of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
The incident centers around Dr. Rachael Mbabazi, a manager at UWA, who reportedly solicited and received Shs47 million from Hajji Isaac Mulindwa under the pretense of facilitating transportation for wild animals he had legally acquired.
Hajji Mulindwa, a private investor with a 640-acre ranch in Busikili, Matugga, had approached UWA with the intention of purchasing wild animals.
In addition to the Shs47 million paid to Mbabazi via her personal bank and Mobile Money accounts, Hajji Mulindwa also paid USD 8,000 directly to UWA’s official bank account as the formal payment for the animals.
By May 2023, Hajji Mulindwa had satisfied all official requirements and was granted a license by UWA permitting him to privately own 100 wild animals.
However, despite meeting all obligations, he received only 31 of the 100 animals.
Speaking during a press briefing at SHIPU offices in Kampala, Col. Nakalema emphasized that her unit’s primary duty is to ensure that individuals like Dr. Mbabazi, who misuse their positions, are removed from government service.
“It’s not UWA which frustrated you Hajji, it was one of their staff. Our role as SHIPU is to coordinate all government ministries and agencies to ensure that investors are not delayed or frustrated as long as they have fulfilled what is required of them,” she stated.
She stressed the need for disciplinary action.
“The issue remains that the officer who is implicated should leave the government office. It’s not right for any government officer to receive money in your private bank account or mobile money account. What Mbabazi did was an abuse of office. Hajji was delayed despite fulfilling all that was required of him and getting a license from UWA.”
Col. Nakalema urged all Ugandans, especially investors, to refrain from engaging with individual officers when conducting official business.
“I would like to inform our esteemed citizens but particularly our investors not to deal with individuals, but institutions. The problem of dealing with individuals is that you expose yourself to extortion. Deal with heads of agencies or offices,” she advised.
She went on to commend the Uganda Wildlife Authority, particularly its Executive Director, Dr. James Musinguzi, for acting promptly upon learning of the matter.
“We congratulate UWA for their commitment to resolve the issue by promising to give all the remaining animals he paid for in a few days,” she said. “Our work was to coordinate with the respective agency to ensure that the errant officer is brought to book.”
As part of the proceedings, Col. Nakalema officially handed over the case against Dr. Mbabazi to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit for further investigation and action.
Representing UWA at the event, Mr. John Makombo, Director of Biodiversity Management, acknowledged the complaint and expressed UWA’s regret over the matter.
“We received this complaint on Monday and we are here today on behalf of the UWA Executive Director to see how we can mitigate the problem. We regret the incident and we are going to deliver the rest of the animals to Mzee,” Mr. Makombo said. “We regret what Rachael did and we are going to ensure that we make our staff do better and ensure that the image of UWA is protected.”
Makombo further clarified that the incident was not reflective of the institution’s standards or procedures.
“Our rules don’t allow our staff to receive money directly. We have a cashless system. We want to let you know that UWA is a good institution and it does not promote this kind of situation,” he stated.
He added that internal disciplinary measures would also be undertaken.
Mbabazi, he said, would face the appropriate UWA Human Resource disciplinary action.
He also issued a formal apology to Hajji Mulindwa on behalf of the Authority.
In response, Hajji Mulindwa expressed gratitude to Col. Nakalema and SHIPU for their professionalism and prompt support.
“I like the way you have handled my issue and I pray to God to keep you like that,” he said.
He also disclosed that a partial repayment had already been made by Mbabazi and her legal team.
“I also sat with Mbabazi and her lawyers and they have so far paid me Shs22 million and they agreed to pay the balance in two weeks,” he added.
The incident has served as a strong reminder of the need for transparency and institutional engagement in all government dealings, particularly those involving investors.
