UN
Gives AIDS
Post to Uganda
Official
Probed for
Embezzling,
Bans
Questions
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 3 --
Sometimes the
UN announces
top jobs given
out by
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon and no
one thinks
much about it;
sometimes the
UN bans follow
up questions
without
explanation at
its
briefings.
On
August
1, Ban's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
announced
that "the
Secretary-General
has appointed
Speciosa
Wandira-Kasibwe
of Uganda as
his Special
Envoy for
HIV/AIDS in
Africa... Ms.
Wandira-Kazibwe
will
help advance
the AIDS
response in
Africa by
advocating for
the active
engagement and
involvement of
all sectors of
society. In
this role,
she will
replace
Asha-Rose
Migiro of
Tanzania."
This
was dutifully
transcribed
and reported;
at that day's
noon briefing,
Inner City
Press was
denied any
follow up
questions,
which others
were allowed.
Even
a simple
Internet
search finds a
report from Uganda
dated July 10,
a
mere three
weeks before,
that
"Former
ministers
Speciosa
Wandira
Kazibwe, Syda
Bbumba and
current
Fisheries
minister Ruth
Nankabirwa
were yesterday
implicated in
the loss of
more than
Shs10 billion
through a
presidential
project to
support
small
businesses.
There were
also
accusations
that the
suspected
perpetrators
who have been
summoned to
appear before
Parliament’s
Public
Accounts
Committee
(PAC) passed
off the
project as a
vote-winning
scheme ahead
of the 2011
election."
Did
this and other
things show up
in the UN's
"due
diligence"
before giving
Speciosa
Wandira
Kazibwe the
position? Or
are the
legal problems
the REASON the
UN post was
given?
Jump
cut to August
1, when
Ban was giving
her the post,
and Nesirky
was
refusing any
follow up
questioons
from the
Press. Now the
Ugandan
media
reported on
questioning
elsewhere:
"Former
Ministers
Speciosa
Wandira
Kazibwe, Syda
Bbumba and
current
Fisheries
minister Ruth
Nankabirwa
were yesterday
questioned by
the
Parliamentary
Public
Accounts
Committee on
allegations
that they
aided
embezzlement
of public
funds used by
the ruling
party to
finance its
campaign in
2011 general
elections. The
President had
directed that
the money
should not be
released
during
election
time."
The
questioning
took place on
July 31 - the
day BEFORE Ban
gave Speciosa
Wandira
Kazibwe the UN
position. Did
the UN check
into the
results of
the
questioning?
Inner City
Press and the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
have been
opposing limits
on
questioning,
including a mere
three minute
briefing
that was
not re-opened
on the record,
at least not
on camera,
the refusal of
follow up
questions, and
the refusal by
at least one
Under
Secretary
General, Herve
Ladsous, to
answer
critical Press
questions (video here).
This
is how Press
questioning
ended, at the
UN in New
York,
according to
the UN's own
transcript:
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Yes, last
question to
Mr. Abbadi?
[Inner
City Press,
and/for FUNCA:
How can that
be the last
question?]
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Why can’t it
be the last
question,
Matthew?
Inner
City Press: I
have a lot of
questions for
you.
Spokesperson:
Well,
tomorrow is
another day.
Inner
City Press:
Well, you did
this
yesterday, as
well.
Notably,
on Inner City
Press' July 31
question of
the identity
of the company
UN Peacekeeping's
Herve Ladsous
signed a contract
with for
drones,
Nesirky
withheld the
answer until
the August 1
noon briefing,
read it out to
all at once
then took no
follow ups.
Inner
City Press got
and reported
some other
answers on
August 2; its
questions
submitted
early on
August 4 have
yet to be
answered as of
this writing.
But we will
report all
answers and
communications.
Watch
this site.
, 
