A top official at Lagan Croup Limited, Andrew Bamanya has been fired over Integrity issues and controversially fueling confusion and mess in the development of the Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP) in Namanve.
Bamanya has been coordinating the activities of a UK based contractor, Lagan Group Limited, to develop the infrastructure for the Kampala Industrial Business Park.
It is a joint venture that was established between the UK contractor, Lagan Group Limited and Local Ugandan contractor, DOTT Services Limited (Lagan DOTT Namanve Limited) to bring together the international standards with local knowledge and expertise to develop a world class project for the Uganda government.
However, in the process of executing his duties, Bamanya exercised cheap popularity whereby he deliberately sided with individuals against the employer UIA, and this resulted in cases of conflict of interest and collision of some offices.
This is reflected in his controversial statements in various meetings which have since warranted his sacking on a recommendation of the project supervisor, the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA).
In a tough letter dated August 14, 2024, which has been glanced at by the publisher, the Director General of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) Robert Mukiza wrote to the contractor highlighting Bamanya’s inaccuracies. He further expressed his dissatisfaction by referring to the earlier missives to his employers and called for his replacement.
“I would like to refer to the letters I wrote to you on June 27th and July 29th, 2024, respectively, registering the employer’s dissatisfaction with your company’s authorized representative where I indicated that, in the interest of the project, he gets relieved of his duties,” reads part of the UIA letter.
The Director General indicates that Bamanya’s contradictions are not only controversial but have created hostilities, toxicity, conflicts and confusion in the organization.
HOW BAMANYA-ANITE ALLIANCE COST UIA
Bamanya’s reported connivance with Minister Everlyn Anite to malign the activities at UIA reached climax when the team met President Museveni at State House.
The no-nonsense president blasted Bamanya and Anite and cautioned them on their blackmail stances. He told the minister to keep in her lane and stop mixing up the investors.
The president re-echoed this during the retreat in Kyankwanzi where Anite had turned herself into a self-glorified messenger to fight against corruption.
Anite who reportedly shed crocodile tears before President Museveni in the State House where she had dragged in Bamanya to trade his lies got embarrassed at a Kyankwanzi retreat when the president publicly rebuked her.
She was not left with any other option other than cutting short the retreat to fly to Canada where her hubby Allan Kajik sits as country’s deputy head of mission to cool off the embarrassment and frustration. One would ably say that the firing of Bamanya has left the Minister in a state of oblivion as far as the Namanve project is concerned.
It should be remembered that Bamanya’s confusion nearly collided the Minister with the British High Commissioner following her post on X-handle of June 15, 2024, when she stated that she was informed about the variation of prices and Honoraria by the British High Commission through Lagan. This caused a lot of animosity in the institution and the allegations directly affected the members of UIA.
To clear the air, the UIA Director General asked Bamanya to explain in writing if it was indeed the British High Commissioner that informed the line minister about the issue of variation of prices and Honoraria through Lagan.
In the tough letter to Bamanya’s employers, the UIA Director General also points out the contradiction where he was accused of not attending any meeting regarding the project yet in the same breath, he (Bamanya) confirms that in all the meetings the Lagan DOTT directors have attended about the project, the DG praises the Lagan representative. The DG also disputes the accusation of dodging meetings saying that even when he does not attend in person due to the busy schedules, he is always represented by the Employer’s representative or the project manager who keep him fully informed about all the developments.
Ironically, it is on record that Bamanya was physically and conspicuously missing in the four critical meetings in just two months warranting the DG to question on how the decisions could be taken in the absence of the contractor’s representative.
It is against this background that the DG of UIA called for the replacement of Bamanya and proposed a joint meeting in which a new Lagan country representative can be briefed on the new concrete plan to swiftly remove the bottlenecks that have affected the project and aim at its completion in September 2025 without further delays.
CRIMINAL RECORD
It is a double jeopardy for Bamanya since his record outside work is also not very straight, something that may earn him free of charge chilling at the ‘beaches’ of Luzira Prison.
It is on record that he recently threatened a civilian with a gun. A complaint in which he is implicated in threatening violence against an innocent truck driver using a firearm is already on the table of the Resident Chief State Attorney in Makindye Court.
This became a pending matter when a victim of Bamanya gun threats Ssemujju Kabanda wrote to the RCSA, Makindye Court seeking guidance on the matter in respect of file vide Kabalagala Police Station TAR 273/2024, Uganda versus Dorothy Nantale.
“On the 25th day of April 2024, while I was driving the motor vehicle registration number UAG 747H in Kisugu, I was knocked by Andrew Bamanya who was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser registration number UBL 152 J belonging to Dott Services. An altercation ensued after the incident and Bamanya drew his pistol at me……..” the letter partly reads.
In a letter dated August 23rd 2024 of which the complainant has a copy, Adams Wasswa, the RCSA wrote to the OC Traffic, Kabalagala Police Station asking for the sanctioned police file so as to address the complaint lodged.
As we report this, a warrant of arrest could have been already issued against Bamanya so as to face the long arm of the law.