Allegations of corruption, abuse of office and internal wrangles have split the Ugandan chapter of the Pan African Movement.
The Ugandan pan African movement is part of the global network of National Pan African Organizations, under the Global Secretariat currently based in Uganda.
A faction within the organization organized and held elections in November last year and set up their own administrative structure parallel to an already existing one.
Daniel Rugarama, who was elected five months ago, claims to be the legitimate chairperson of the Ugandan Chapter of the Pan African Movement.
Rugarama says that he took over duties to revive the organization because the current administration had failed.
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Karooro took over as chairman of the national chapter following the death of Jimmy Dean, who had been chairman since 1994.
Since then no elections have been organized by the movement. Karoro calls, Rugarama a masquerader and vows to have him arrested for impersonation.
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Karooro blames the global secretariat headed by Grace Majooro for usurping powers of the Ugandan chapter. But Majooro says that the parallel committee is just serving an interim purpose to help revive the Pan African ideology in the country.
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When contacted, trade minister and Pan African Movement chairperson Gen. Kahinda Otafire said that the secretariat must not interfere in the activities of the Ugandan chapter saying that the two are entirely different entities.
Matters seem to be far from over with a section of disgruntled volunteers planning to petition the speaker of parliament over the matter. High on the agenda is the issue of accountability.
There are claims that 120 million shillings given to the secretariat by President Yoweri Museveni last year was embezzled. But Majooro says the secretariat is a self accounting organ that is accountable only to donor governments.
