There is an uproar within the vulnerable communities in Entebbe stemming from the deliberate attempt by a former District Councilor for Wakiso, Richard Wamala Lule, to use funds supposed to be used for humanitarianism for political gain.
The uproar has been raised by a number of residents in Lugonjo in Division B who were supposed to be beneficiaries of the HEDEF (Holistic Empowerment Development Foundation) project funded by Turkish nationals in the country.
Sources close to this website say Lule has for long been receiving aid from the Turkish counterparts.
However, the former leader chose to use the aid in his political campaign. He is contesting to become the next Division A Chairperson in Entebbe Municipality.
However, the aid, which includes food and assorted items that act as the first points of interaction between the vulnerable communities and the funders, is given with political motives, luring people to vote for him.
The politician, who was convicted of assaulting journalists, together with a number of NRM youths in 2017, is also accused of soliciting money from the general population.
They accuse the youthful politician of defrauding the public during his days as a member of the committee on Gender and Community-based services at the Wakiso District Local Government between 2016-2021.
One of the victims was the Abba house of Pr. Kaaya, an orphanage based in Katabi-Busambaga in Division A, which he fraudulently acquired money from under the guise of helping them to register fully and get recognition from authorities.
Now, several of the vulnerable people want the police and other leaders to bring this to the attention of the HEDEF directors, where Lule is one of the top managers.
Residents say the youthful politician should also be cautioned on using resources from a non-government organization to do politics.
“He first started off by giving the utilities to his people in Kayunga. He is now offering the needs to us with a politically convincing tongue to vote for him.
He does all this in the name of Wamala Cares, a pseudo foundation he created to operate under HEDEF. Sometimes, he claims they are his own sweat, and yet they come from donors.
Well, as residents, we want the items but they should not be attached for political gain,” one of the vulnerable people told this website.
Another resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said that they are even concerned about the operations of this organization because they claim to be an NGO focusing on helping the vulnerable people, yet Entebbe, where they are located, does not feel their impact.
He adds that all the children in that organization are from far districts like Mayuge district in Busoga and claim the children in the organization subscribe to one religion.
However, by the time this story was published, the known phone numbers of the director were unreachable to confirm this.
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