By Cedric Mwesigwa. Wednesday 20 October 2025.
The Democratic Party (DP) hard bought printing machine is no more following its controversial sale under a fraudulent deal that has left several senior party leaders exposed.
The initiative that cost the party colossal 450 million shillings under the leadership of the fallen party treasurer late Hajj Issa Kikungwe was aimed at muscling up the party to navigate its lifelong financial constraints, as well as helping it to address the burden of heavy financial investment in printing services, to print the campaign posters for its official card holding candidates during elections.
However, what was once a dream idea to reality is now shuttered as the largest printer party machine went missing, cheated and eventually sold under a well-orchestrated fraudulent deal by a section of party leaders, which has sparked internal discontent.
But who exactly sold the Democratic Party’s virtuous multimillion printing machine?
Blazer News Times has exclusively learnt from the highly placed sources in the DP that, the orchestras of the game were Herbert Rutagwera- organizing secretary in connivance with other party leaders.
How the DP Printer Machine Got Vanished
Reliable sources say that, following the death of Issa Kikungwe in 2017, who had been entrusted with the party’s machine operational oversight based on his technical expertise in the printing business as well as being in the treasury docket where it falls, a conceived idea turned a suggestion was presented before the NEC by the secretary general Siranda, recommending Herbert Rutagwera to be endorsed as departed Kikungwe’s replacement to uphold its operations since he had vast experience regarding commercial printing services.
NEC was conviced by Siranda and approved Rutagwera who was later tasked with making a 4 million monthly payment into the party coffers as proceeds from the equipment, according to sources.
Insiders say that as time went by, Rutagwera started to be tight lipped regarding sharing the machine operational reports, and a few times he would be asked about its status he kept assuring them that it was there working very well.
However, it later emerged that the machine had been fraudulently sold when some of the new NEC members interested themselves in monitoring its performance.
According to sources, when the organizing secretary had been pressed hard against the wall, he confessed eventually that the machine had been confiscated by its building landlord who eventually sold it to recover his money in accumulated rental arrears upon failure by the party to meet its rental obligation.
Tasked to explain whether the said setback has ever been drawn to the attention of the relevant party organs internally, the brown skinned Rutagwera was tight lipped according to sources.
Findings shows that there was collusion between Rutagwera and the landlord to cause confiscation of the party ‘s property with an intention of benefiting themselves, thus causing financial loss to the party through its irregular sale, without following the due internal processes.
Rutagwera Survives Arrest.
Sources say that, during the DP National Council (NC) that was held in Soroti ahead of the Delegates Conference (DC), some party members who had already become privy to this fraudulent deal, plotted to cause the arrest of the organizing secretary Herbert Rutagwera but only to be saved by the secretary general Siranda.
Other Senior DP Leaders Named in the Scandal.
Notable among other senior party leaders that have been implicated in the printer scam is the secretary general Gerald Siranda, national chairperson Dr. Kiwanuka Mayambala, treasurer and Mary Babirye Kabanda.
According to insiders, the secretary general by virtue of his office charged with the duty of superintending over the secretariat as well as keeping the party records. That, his silence with show of no concern internally ever since the machine vanished makes him a suspect. They added that him recommending Rutagwera instead of the responsible treasury office, renders him a conspirator.
With Babirye Kabanda, sources say that she failed to discharge her constitutional duty of monitoring that highly valued party’s asset directing falling under her docket, presenting her a suspect.
Dr. Kiwanuka Mayambala according to the sources, he is the chairperson of the Finance Committee that approves all the budgets with funding for party activities. Mayambala is accused of going ahead with approving the budgets for stationary and indicating into his committee reports that the party has got its printer, which is a contradiction, according to the sources.
Martin Wakooli the party’s accountant, is being accused of drafting reports some of which are furnished with the Uganda Electoral Commission (EC)indicating that the printer machine is functional yet he is well aware that it is no longer in existence.
Efforts by Blazer News Times of seeking response from the secretary general Siranda in relation to the accusations placed against him and other senior party leaders were futile as he had not replied to our WhatsApp engagement by the press time.
We equally did not succeed to have a comment from Rutagwera.
Now the concerned DP members whose names are withheld wants all the implicated party leaders to be investigated further by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) and be held responsible for the loss of their equipment, saying part of the resources used for its purchase were from the government under the IPOD arrangement.
