By Chris Mugasha
Five top officials of a SACCO in Bushenyi district have been arrested for allegedly causing the collapse of the SACCO.
The arrested officials have been leaders of Bumbeire SACCO in Bumbeire Sub County which has since closed its operations.
They are being accused of mismanaging the SACCO where over 2000 members/shareholders have lost their money estimated to be over Shs600million. They were arrested on the orders of the Bushenyi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Robert Atuhaire after a heated meeting with the SACCO’s shareholders. The meeting took place on Tuesday at Bumbeire Sub County.
Those arrested include the General Manager Adonia Nsheme Tushemereirwe, the SACCO’s former Board chairman Francis Nduru and the branch managers.
The Greater Bushenyi police spokesperson Martial Tumusiime could not disclose full details of the case but said their file was being handled by the police detectives.
Tumusiime said, “We are waiting for a full audit report and then we conclude their file for further action.”
Sources said the Manager Nsheme indicates that about Sh308million is in loans (loan portfolio) but it is alleged that there is no list to show that the above money is in loans.
Also, members who had saved with the SACCO their money worth about Shs238million are also stranded and crying as there is no money in the SACCO to pay them.
David Kakama the Bumbeire sub county district councilor said, “There is no money in the bank to pay people as we speak now.”
It all started when the Manager (Nsheme) submitted in his resignation letter but the current chairman Muhereza rejected his resignation until he (Nsheme) sorts out the mess in the SACCO.
The RDC Robert Atuhaire said the problems of Bumbeire SACCO started last year where people could not recover their money they had saved in the SACCO. “Members lost patience and we decided to intervene by holding a meeting with members to determine the extent of the loss,” Atuhaire said.
Atuhaire said they alerted the responsible ministry (Ministry of trade and cooperatives) but the ministry did not respond.
“We have decided to start our investigations at our level because there are people who must be held responsible,” Atuhaire explained.
The collapse of another SACCO, Ruharo Heifer Project SACCO Ltd
This is so far the second SACCO to collapse. It has followed Ruharo Heifer Project SACCO Ltd in Bushenyi/Ishaka Municipality where over 1000 members/shareholders have also lost their money.
Located in Omuruhita Trading centre in Ruharo ward Bushenyi Central Division Ruharo Heifer Project SACCO Ltd is now a ‘shadow of its own’.
Unlike Bumbeire SACCO where the leaders/staff have been arrested, for Ruharo Heifer Project SACCO Ltd, the staffs are nowhere to be seen.
Ruharo Heifer Project SACCO Ltd was part of President Yoweri Museveni’s poverty eradication initiatives in the area where government invested lots of money through a number of projects that aimed at making Ruharo a model parish. In the defunct SACCO, the President had injected a contribution of about Sh100million as a boost.
“Together with the district commercial office, we have communicated to the responsible ministries to help us because over 1000 people are complaining and they want to know who caused the mess,” Atuhaire said. The SACCO is allegedly to have collapsed with over Shs400million that included members’ savings and shares.
“The landlord has petitioned my office because he wants to regain his building and rent it out to other people but remember there are properties including documentations which are locked inside and they cannot be tempered with until when investigations have been conducted,” the RDC said.
Caption: The head offices of Ruharo Heifer project SACCO which has collapsed and closed.
According to sources, one who was a manager was called to bring keys but he has never turned up. “The manager who was in amidst all this resigned and we are told he was given a job in government,” a source said.Amidst all the mess, it is reported that the person who was the SACCO’s treasurer was attacked and brutally murdered by panga men.
“The treasurer had all the evidence of how the collapsing of the SACCO took place,” said one resident on condition of anonymity. “One person who was also reportedly to be one of the leading borrowers was also attacked by gun men who shot him but he survived,” the resident added.
Ambrose Agaba the Ruharo Ward Municipal councilor said they have tried several times to revive the SACCO. He said a tentative committee where he is the Treasurer has been formed to spearhead the revival. “We are in touch with the RDC to see how this institution can be revived,” Agaba said.
Agaba explained that, “some of those who took loans, were forced to pay but the money was said to have been paid to security company that was guarding the premises.” The security company also later withdrew its workers/guards.
Agaba said the Bushenyi/Ishaka Municipal council leadership has not helped saying, “I have presented issues of this SACCO several times in council but nothing has been done. There is no response from the concerned authorities.”
“The process of re-starting is proving to be difficult because after the attack on the treasurer who was murdered we got worried,” Agaba explained.
Arozius Nshemereirwe the Bushenyi central Division LCIII NRM chairman said, “It is unfortunate that our president supported us but few people decided to mess up our development.” He said it is going to be difficult to re-start. End.
