KAMPALA: The Chairman National Resistance Movement (NRM) President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed party bosses at the secretariat to investigate its treasurer, Barbara Nekesa Lumolo after a Shs.3 billion was stolen from her home in Muyenga.
According to an inside source at NRM headquarters, the Secretariat, with the approval of President Museveni, is planning to investigate treasurer Nekesa over alleged misappropriation of party funds. Allegations of fund misuse have been circulating since last year, with the party experiencing a quarterly loss of Shs1.3 billion, leading to delays in project implementation and salary payments.
Amidst these developments, Nekesa is also under scrutiny for allegedly misleading Police about the amount stolen from her bedroom.
Earlier reports suggested that only Shs.800 million was taken, but ongoing investigations reveal a stark contrast, with the actual stolen amount totaling Shs.3 billion.
On December 5th, 2023, where three police officers, including Nekesa’s bodyguard, raided her Muyenga home and made off with six bags containing the substantial sum in dollar bills.
The three police officers, identified as Michael Wango (Nekesa’s bodyguard), Sergeant Dominic Idro, and Constable Sharif Mugoya, were apprehended and charged with aggravated robbery, receiving stolen property, and being accessories after the fact.
Details of the Heist:
According to sources, Nekesa’s bodyguard, Wango, collaborated with police officers Idro and Mugoya to execute the heist. Prior to the incident, Wango allegedly facilitated the entry of the two police officers into Nekesa’s home for acclimatization, disabling CCTV cameras under the guise of overseeing home security.
On the day of the robbery, Nekesa was at home while her husband was away. The police officers, with the assistance of Wango and a maid, locked up Nekesa and her staff, coercing her to unlock her bedroom where the money was stored. The officers then fled with six bags containing Shs3 billion in cash and several phones, leaving Nekesa and her staff locked inside.
Upon regaining freedom, Nekesa reported the incident to Kabalagala Police, initially claiming that Shs400 million was stolen. However, subsequent statements increased the reported amount to Shs800 million and later, according to Wango, to the actual sum of Shs3 billion.
Several individuals, including civilians, were arrested in connection with the theft. One of the stolen phones was recovered in Namutumba, and a bag of cash dropped by the thieves was found and picked up by a casual laborer named Opio, leading to his arrest.
Investigation and Recovered Funds:
In a statement at CMI headquarters, Wango claimed that Nekesa would occasionally invite him to her bedroom, revealing that she had a significant amount of cash hidden there. He alleged that Nekesa would thank him with ‘loose change’ ranging from 200 to 500 dollars after such visits.
Police investigators have so far recovered Shs1.3 billion in cash, including a suitcase with Shs800 million found at Wango’s father’s residence in eastern Uganda. Idro and Mugoya reportedly delivered the money to Wango’s father for safekeeping.
NRM Party officials have been raising concerns about Nekesa’s seemingly unexplained financial capacity, particularly her ability to construct high-end apartments in Kampala.
Efforts to reach Nekesa for comment were unsuccessful as she couldn’t pick our repeated calls.
