Uganda Netball Federation president remanded to Luzira over Shs 16m

Buganda Road Magistrate’s court has remanded to Luzira prison the president of the Uganda Netball Federation (UNF), Sarah Babirye Kityo on charges of obtaining money by false pretense. 

On Monday afternoon Babirye together with Zainab Namutebi, a businesswoman was arraigned before grade one magistrate Siena Owomugisha and charged with two counts of obtaining Shs 16 million by false pretense. 

Court heard that Namutebi and Babirye and others still at large in the month of May 2022 in Kampala district, obtained Shs 8 million from Sarah Wamala by falsely pretending that she was going to take her son to the United States whereas not.

Prosecution contends that during the same time and place, the accused also obtained another Shs 8 million from Grolia Kikomeko Nantambi whom they also defrauded that they would take her to the United States. But the duo has denied the charges against them.

As a result, they have been remanded to Luzira prison until May 17 for purposes of hearing their bail application. The remand has come at the time when Babirye who is the former Youth MP representing Central Region is on a forced three-month leave from office as the UNF president. 

This was to allow a special committee instituted by minister of Sports and Education Janet Kataaha Museveni to investigate allegations of abuse of office and financial mismanagement.

The directive placed Brig Flavia Byekwaso as the interim president of the federation, which is currently preparing the She Cranes for the Netball World Championships.

Police has since February 2023 been investigating the federation over alleged financial mismanagement that stemmed from funds released by the National Council for Sports (NCS) for the 2021 Pent Series in Namibia which Uganda won.

The embattled general secretary of NCS, Dr Bernard Ogwel has since revealed that UNF defrauded the Ugandan government because the Namibian government had already covered all expenses for the netball delegation, including full board expenses for 17 members during the Pent Series.

He said NCS had paid air tickets worth Shs 127 million for the She Cranes, which the netball body allegedly failed to acknowledge in their accountability.

But Babirye denied the allegations, saying the netball body had received only Shs 186 million and had accounted for it in time. She said Ogwel has been repeatedly asking for kickbacks from their federation whenever funds are allocated to the She Cranes.   

She cited their trip to South Africa in 2021 for the Male Netball Championship where Ogwel reportedly demanded Shs 40 million out of the Shs 100 million allocated for the championship.

According to Babirye, although the federation’s top leadership agreed not to pay the kickback, the vice president, Richard Muhumuza, and general secretary, Amina Mande defied the resolution and paid Ogwel Shs 30 million meant for the player’s allowances.

The deputy inspector general of government Patricia Okiria Achan has since ordered Ogwel to pay back Shs 100 million to the Uganda Netball Federation.