Gerald Siranda, the secretary general of the Democratic Party (DP), has dismissed allegations of corruption and abuse of office, describing them as baseless and intended to tarnish his political career.
In an interview with Bbeg Media, Siranda challenged his accusers to provide evidence to support their claims.
“Do you know me very well? Let the executive member who is accusing me give you proper information before you engage me. And which accountability are you talking about regarding the party land? You may also need to consult the national treasurer because I am not the one,” Siranda told us.
Siranda’s remarks follow claims by some party members that he mismanaged party property in Lubaga, which was reportedly purchased during the tenure of former party president John Ssebaana Kizito. The land was intended to host the proposed Ben Kiwanuka House project.
Sources within the party allege that the project stalled and that questions have been raised internally about the utilisation of the property. They also claim that concerns have been expressed about accountability relating to funds linked to party activities.
Siranda denied any wrongdoing.
He has also been accused by some party members of mismanaging funds from the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD), a platform that brings together political parties that have MPs.
One source claimed that funds meant to support party programmes were not utilised as expected, despite the fact that DP receives hundreds of millions every year as a member of IPOD.
The secretary general rejected the claims and insisted that any financial accountability matters fall within the mandate of the party’s treasury.
Further allegations relate to the conduct of the party’s delegates conference in Mbarara last year, with some members claiming there were irregularities in the accreditation process.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the party treasurer, Babirye Kabanda, and the party president, Norbert Mao, were unsuccessful as they did not respond to calls.
