Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) recently publicized the sacking of its official in a paid newspaper advert, warning the general public against transacting with him on its behalf.
“This is to inform all stakeholders and the general public that Mr. Henry Munaba Dhikusooka formerly a Principal in Risk and Compliance Management Department whose photograph appears above, was dismissed from Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) on May 2023, on accounts of gross misconduct.
He is therefore, not permitted to transact any business on behalf Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
Whoever deals with him does so at their own risk.” Reads the advert.
This investigative website has learned that Mr Munaba’s ordeal started when a whistleblower penned a dossier to the Inspectorate of Government Hon Betty Kamya exposing the corruption in the organization.
The IGG, by standard is supposed to protect the whistleblowers. Against that backdrop the UBOS top shots named in the whistleblower’s report kicked off a clandestine operation to unearth who the mole was..
This was in the 2021. The IGG began her investigations into the alleged fraud of more than shs 2 billion spent in ghost activities.
As the IGG probed the officials, they also investigated who was behind the report.
Using all their resources at their disposal, the mole within UBOS was busted.
It was Henry Munaba Dhikusooka. A plot to kick him out of the organization was then hatched.
“It is now standard practice for bosses caught with their hands in the till to dismiss, and refuse to renew contracts of those they claim exposed their thieving ways,” said a source privy to the grand plan to frustrate and dismiss Munaba.
A huge question remains if this is the ultimate price of whistleblowing, since UBOS top bosses were determined to finish off Mr Munaba to taking the unprecedented step of putting this notice in a regional newspaper.
Background
In 2021 May 2021 the Inspector General of Government (IGG) started investigating top officials at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) over alleged fraud of more than Shs2b spent in ghost activities.
The fraud was orchestrated during the Covid-19-induced lockdown, with the officials, among others, claiming to have carried out Covid-19- related activities.
The money would allegedly be withdrawn on requisition by top Ubos officials, who would then wire it to the bank accounts of junior staff and instruct them to withdraw and share it.
A whistleblower then raised the red flag of how large sums of money was being wired to his bank account but without his knowledge.
The whistleblower raised the matter with the board of directors, he was instead threatened to be reprimanded for raising such lies.
A second whistleblower also raised a similar concern and reported the alleged massive fraud to the Office of the IGG.
The IGG in March commenced investigations to find the culprits.
As part of the investigations, the IGG wrote to Ubos management, asking them to avail certified copies of Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) payment schedules and records for 11 staff and all other payments outside the IFMS. The bank accounts of the 11 staff were scrutinised by investigators.
More details will follow…