President Museveni’s former Principle Private Secretary and current Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde’s husband is being tracked by court bailiffs over an unpaid loan he obtained from a Kampala moneylender.
Mr Wilson Kyambadde is in hiding over a 2013 debt of USD300,000 (over Shs1.5bn as per current exchange rate) borrowed Mr Amdan Khan, one of the top private money lenders in the country who has lent money to various people including business people, politicians, among other people.
Mr Amdan, a renowned cotton dealer says it is now over two years since Mr. Kyambadde was ordered to pay the money and he hasn’t taken any steps to pay by the High Court Execution Division Assistant Registrar Lawrence Tweyanze.
TheUgandan understands that Kampala Central Member of Parliament Mohammed Nsereko who knows Khan’s financial muscle connected Kyambadde to Khan and the frustrated money lender has vowed to pursue the matter to the end because he needs to recover his money.
“It is quite unfortunate that a man of his stature can behave that way but I can assure you that I won’t rest until I recover my money,” Khan told this reporter.
Mr. Kyambadde has never appeared in Court despite several court summons and only his lawyer Nsereko Mukalazi appears on his behalf.
Amdan Khan is also yet to recover his $100,000 (over Shs350m) in full he lent to Nsereko in 2013.
He had dragged him (MP Nsereko) to court as well but the two agreed to settle the matter out of Court and the politician pays installments through Khan’s lawyer Arthur Mukwatanise.
Ms Kyambadde distances self
Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde Ms Kyambadde, who is married to businessman Wilson Kyambadde with six children distanced herself from the matter saying her husband is a different entity and she couldn’t comment on the matter.
“He is a different entity please contact him,” Amelia said on phone before she hanging up.
In an earlier interview about her husband Mr Kyambadde, she says: “Our values were different and we were coming from very different backgrounds. I comes from an aristocratic family and he comes from a family with low income. So sometimes, it is very difficult to reconcile the two although we have lived together all these years.” She adds: “There are values I consider to be very important and there are certain things he considers not to be so important, but I thank God that he has given us very beautiful children together and we have brought them up. We are very different actually but we tolerate each other. Tolerance is the best medicine.”
Bond with first family
The Kyambaddes have been close and worked for the Museveni family since 1979 playing the longest uninterrupted impact on Uganda’s politics. Ms Kyambadde said a special bond of friendship developed between the two families – with the Kyambaddes helping the Musevenis find a home and establish themselves in exile life in Sweden – where she says she watched the children being born and grow up.
We reached out to Mr Kyambadde’s attorney for comment, so far no word back.