Unscrupulous officials in the National Airline working closely with ‘dreaded’ Kampala businessmen and powerful regime protagonists made billions of shillings out of smuggling alcohol into Mogadishu, Somalia.
The illegal trade started last year until Somali government bust the racket in March this year, grounded the aircraft until UPDF intervened to save Uganda Airlines of the embarrassment.
This was a breaking a point to President Yoweri Museveni’s patience. He immediately ordered Gen. Katumba Wamala who had been hesitant to suspend Uganda Airlines top management including CEO Cornwell Muleya in May.
The officials are on three months leave pending an investigation into mismanagement of the national carrier.
This website reliably understands, that the findings of the State House led investigation could soon catapult into arrests of the implicated officials.
TrumpetNews through its independent investigation established who the officials behind the smuggling of the alcohol into the Islamic state are.
Following our story published yesterday, a former duty manager at the time, Moses Kisembo has confessed that it is true, alcohol was smuggled and transported as cargo destined to Juba- South Sudan but ended up in Mogadishu.
The ‘cartel’ involved in the smuggling comprised of DAS Handling company, Uganda Airlines top bosses at Entebbe and some rogue soldiers in AMISOM based in Mogadishu.
In a detailed letter obtained by this website, Mr Kisembo explains what exactly happened on the fateful day.
“The day alcohol was smuggled, It was me that day but was at counters supervising check in and when time to board I passed figures to OCC as Das people passed figures to their counterparts at sorting area we confirmed the bags of that day sorting had received I remember like 44 so we led passengers to aircraft and all bags had been loaded prior to my coming down with passengers,” reads Kisembo’s letter.
“I am required to sign a baggage reconciliation which I did and my bags at counters checked and system were tallying with what was presented to me,” he added.
“That day had worked night around 8am I went home later around 10am Kinalwa calls that the plane to MGQ had alcohol I was equally perturbed.
Because there seemed nothing peculiar that day. Investigation s were done by DAS security Specioza khaisa (Mgr security DAS) police and Joint security at airport the loaders and security on the aircraft that day were fired those from DAS.”
Kisembo said that airport security interrogated him to an extent of obtaining phone printouts to see of he he was linked to the crime.
“But later stories started coming out how this was planned the alcohol had been in URA since Feb that fateful, morning they pulled it out purporting it was going to Juba, the customs official accompanied them up to the ramp and went back these people took it to sorting area tagged it manually and that day we were using system generated tags mixed it with what we had sent from counters drove it and loaded it,” he further says.
“All this is on camera which I believe security still has. The boys were interrogated and confirmed the alcohol belonged to a powerful.”
