KAMPALA – Anxiety has gripped the top echelons of the ruling National Resistance Movement party Secretariat after President Museveni and his Central Executive Committee decided to get party finances audited by a special committee.
The Committee, appointed at the latest CEC meeting two weeks ago, is mandated to look into the expenditures of all of the funds allocated to the party.
Former National Deputy Treasurer Mr. Singh Katongole leads the Committee, which also comprises of Hon. Huda Oleru(Minister of State for Defence) and Mr. Gadafi Nasur, the Chairman of the NRM Youth wing.
It is understood that the committee will have their first meeting this week, where top Secretariat leaders will be summoned to explain some of the concerns, including budgeting and expenditure of funds allocated to the party.
The committee, it is understood, will also look at the wage bill and assets of the party.
“There is growing concern that the current administration of the NRM Secretariat which gets UGX. 8.6 billion per quota, which translates to about UGX. 36 billion per year has had nothing to show compared to the former Secretary General Kasule Lumumba administration, which only received UGX. 8 billion per year,” a top party official who sits on the NRM CEC says.
“You can recall that when the new administration came in, they promised to carry out country wide mobilization of NRM members, but nothing has been fulfilled yet,” the official quotes this undelivered activity as an example.
CEC members reportedly deliberated in the meeting that assigned a probe Committee, that “there is a lot of misuse of party funds without tangible results to show of”.
For example, they pointed out that top NRM Secretariat leaders earn very huge sums of money on a monthly basis ranging from UGX. 50 million to 110 million in pecks and allowances without justification.
“Where does all the money go?” a CEC member reportedly asked during the heated meeting, chaired by President Museveni.
Concerns were too raised about the current NRM secretariat ability to deliver party tasks, with CEC members pointing that this has been the worst performing of the recent times of the party.
CEC leadership hopes the probe Committee will make some recommendations to deal with this party Secretariat becoming the weakest link as NRM prepares for the 2026 presidential and general elections.
In the same meeting, the NRM CEC also assigned another committee headed by former Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda to look into some reforms in the NRM party.
