Uganda Table Tennis Association (UTTA) President Robert Jjagwe is under arrest, The-SportsNation can confirm.
It is reported that Jjagwe was arrested on Sunday and he is still being held at Jinja Road Police Station.
No more details about Jjagwe’s arrest have been revealed but sources point to his recent encounters with National Council of Sports.
Jjagwe has been a huge critic of NCS and vocal on the inequitable distribution of Funds issued out to Sports Federation.
He is the third Sports Federation head to be arrested after Moses Muhangi (Boxing) and Sarah Babirye Kityo (Netball) who were jailed to Luzira.
Unlike Muhangi, Babirye’s jail issues had nothing to do with mismanagement of Government funds.
In one of his writings in March this year, Jjagwe said that Federations matters shouldn’t be settled internally.
“We really need to have a good internal resolution of these matters by ourselves without waiting for other people to intervene.”
“One thing for sure is that innocent players, coaches, clubs and schools cannot be left to suffer due to disagreements between just a few individuals.
“An entire Sport cannot be ear marked for destruction because a few individuals at the helm of the concerned institutions have failed to agree with one another. With everything I have seen and heard since I joined Ugandan sports, we must rise above this kind of evil.”
Jjagwe Called Ogwel a Liar!
Jjagwe had a bitter and open exchange with NCS General Secretary Bernard Ogwel in January this year during the 12th National Sports Forum of Sports Federations and Associations.
It all started when Jjagwe, during the reactions session, asked NCS why some Federations received more funds while others got peanuts and sometimes nothing like his Table Tennis.
In defence, Ogwel said Table Tennis in particular did not respond to accountability issues prior to Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
And Minister Peter Ogwang, who chaired the meeting, also confirmed that no Sports Federation will receive funding after failing on accountability of previous funds.
But Jjagwe lost his cool, and speaking in a raised voice, went bare knuckles with Ogwel: “Dear Minister, the big problem with your friend (Ogwel) is he is always telling lies. Where is the letter from NCS that is telling me that my Accountability was denied? It’s not there!”
“That is a blatant lie, we submitted the accountability of Sh41m for Commonwealth Games preparations in coloured copies.
“Secondly, when you deny me further funding, why don’t you tell me that Mr Jjagwe that you requested for more funding but there are problems here come and explain. You just keep quiet? Stop telling lies. Absolute lies. It’s ridiculous.”
The Minister who then calmed an exchange between Ogwel and Jjagwe that had ensued thereafter, said that he was going to handle the matter with an iron hand.
“Whatever has been said here is in black and white, and I am going to submit this to the department of Criminal investigation.
“I want to investigate accountability issues of Table Tennis Association, and I want this to be one of the resolution of this meeting.”
“You see, don’t joke with Government money. There are some laws that govern the management of Government funds. I have seen many forgeries, many Federations heads have gone ahead to forge signatures. But we know and we are going to deal with you.”
