Housing Finance Bank is owned by the Uganda National Social Security Fund (50.0 percent). The government of Uganda, through the Uganda Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, owns 49.18 percent (PHOTO /Courtesy)
KAMPALA — Aloysius Katabarine the branch manager Kikubo Housing Finance bank is facing troubles after several bank clients raised a public outcry over increased harassment, reports have indicated.
Available information indicates that Katabarine on Wednesday during the afternoon hours harassed and nearly thumped one of the bank clients, a boda boda rider who had gone to a branch in Kikubo to demand for a retrieval of information about his account.
Lameka Sekimuli, of Safe Boda got the shock of his life when Katabarine attacked and harassed him with abusive words on top of chasing him out of the banking hall as fellow bank staff and other bank clients watched.
“Go away you have no right to demand for anything. I will thump you,” Katabarine told Lameka in the bank.
Lameka Narrates.
According to Sekimuli, a resident of Nansana Ganda who earns his bread as a safe boda rider at Cham towers, he bought his plot of land in Nansana -Ganda which he has constructed as a house.
He said that he found difficulty in roofing it and that during his discussions with fellow boda bodas, they shared his problems with Mandera who approached him with other friends and wooed them to open up accounts in Housing Finance Bank so that they can secure (Housing Finance loans) to help them.
He said that he would service the loan by using the savings that would otherwise go to paying rent.
He added that after listening and being convinced by Mandera, he wanted only 4M shs to roof the house and so he went to the bank branch in Kikubo where he was told to pay 45000/= on his account after opening an account, which did.
“They asked me to pay another cash money of 30000/- which never had receipts but I paid, then they told me to get my financial statement which I got from Airtel after paying 40000/= however, after paying all the requirements, the loan was not given to me without explanation” Lameka was quoted as saying.
He also added that after failing to secure a loan in Housing Finance Bank he was advised by some colleagues to try Centenary bank , where he took the copies of the land title and other documents but the bank asked for the letter of recommendation from the area LC 1 chairman.
Lameka said that when he went to the Nansana Ganda Area LC1 Chairman a one Nalya, he refused to recommend him on another loan unless he brought back proof that Housing Finance Bank had cleared him.
He said that the area LC1 chairman told him that it is not proper to just give recommendation letters to one person to get loans from several banks, unless he shows proof that the previous loans were cleared or failed to secure.
At this point Lameka returned on a Wednesday at Kikubo Housing Finance Bank Branch to demand for his documents more so the LC1 letter to be taken back to the area authority so as to acquire another letter.
He also asked the manager to write and explain to the LC1 chairman on how the bank failed to give his resident a loan.
At this point, charged Katabarine bucked off Lameka, harassed him and chased him out of the banking hall without explanation.
“I got all sorts of abuse in English and poorly spoken Luganda, humiliated, harassed and intimidated with some of my colleagues who also fellow in the same trap helped me to walk out of the bank.”
He said that he is stranded and hates Housing Finance Bank if that is how staff treat their clients.
Other clients at the same branch told reporters that the characters of the manager are unbearable.
“That man can abuse anyone in the bank if he is charged” a client told said.
However, speaking to Katabarine Aloysius the Kikubo branch of Housing Finance bank did not either confirm or deny the matter.
“Am an employee of the bank and whatever happened, it took place in line with what the bank was supposed to do, so my actions protects the bank, that clients came to the bank not to me as an individual, I also do not speak for the bank we have channels like the head communications, customer complaints desk or the big man the managing director” Katabarine was quoted by The Second Opinion as saying.
He said that if Lameka wanted information or any documents about his account he would use the right channel and by writing to the bank asking what he wants and why his loan failed to go through other than coming to demand verbal explanation from the bank.
“I was doing my work and that Lameka had not exhausted all the possible means of getting information from the bank, we have a customer care desk ask him if he ever went there other than coming to me as manager” Katabarine wondered while laughing at Lameka.
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