PLU demands halt of public financing to Rwabogo’s PACEID

What the report says

The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) has asked the Ministry of Finance to stop more than 52 billion shillings, or about US$14 million, from going to the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), according to The Independent Uganda. The appeal comes amid a public dispute between Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba and PACEID chair Odrek Rwabwogo, who is also a presidential son-in-law.

In Kampala, PLU executive secretary David Kabanda said the group wants ministries, agencies and local governments to suspend dealings with PACEID until its legal basis, staffing, funding and accountability are clarified. He questioned how the body was created and who controls its finances, and argued that presidential appointments alone do not automatically establish a separate institution with authority to recruit staff or spend public money outside government systems.

Kabanda also raised concerns about a reported Ministry of Finance payment linked to a South Sudan supply arrangement, while noting that the specific claim could not be independently verified in the report. The article says earlier South Sudan compensation claims involving a company associated with Rwabwogo existed, but those older disputes do not confirm the current allegation.

Rwabwogo rejected the challenge to PACEID, saying the committee was set up in 2022 to expand export markets and later placed under the Office of the President. He said only President Yoweri Museveni could end its mandate and argued that its work has helped improve exports and support exporters. The dispute highlights broader questions about how presidential initiatives are structured, funded and supervised.