After the Theft of Uhuru’s Limo, now Ugandans Steal Museveni’s Cows

Uganda’s Rose Namayanja, who is the Minister of Information and National Guidance has ordered Linos Ngompek, the Masaka Resident District Commissioner to recover 12 heifers that were sold off by youth leaders after receiving them as a donation from president Yoweri Museveni.

The buyer is said to be Richard Kimera, who is a farmer based in Masaka. He is under fire for buying off the Museveni donated Cows at low price. He reportedly bought them at just 700,000 Ugandan shillings (Ksh 23,000) each while the Ugandan government spent at least 126 billion Ugandan shillings (Ksh 4.2 billion) to buy 438 heifers to empower youths in central Uganda.

Last month, Museveni donated 16 heifers to selected youths leaders in Masaka. The heifers were handed over to the beneficiaries by Joseph Kalungi, the Masaka LC 5 chairperson and Deputy RDC Joseph Ssekasamba.

However, a few days later reports emerged indicating that 12 of the 16 heifers were sold off by the beneficiaries to Mr Kimera. Haruna Numba, the Masaka region Spokesperson for the ruling party NRM, says that the twelve heifers were at Kimera’s farm located in Bukakata.

He identified the youth leaders who had sold off their heifers as Jimmy Kibuga, James Mugwanya and Ausi Kayima and Geoffrey Kizza. On Friday, Numba clashed with Richard Kimera blows at farewell party of Jones Mugabwiire at Masaka Sports Club.

The location of the missing heifers came after Numba called for the arrest of Kimera for alleged corruption. Numba claimed that the decision by Kimera to buy the animals knowing that they were donated to the youth amounts to exploitation and corruption.