Following our expose’ on rogue and racist organization, One Acre Fund (OAF), we’ve received numerous emails and texts concerning the validity of our story.
Our story is indeed true!
One Acre Fund, founded by Andrew Youn is a rotten organisation that treats Africans like trash. No one should associate with it.
See below the explosive revelations their former Employee in Uganda, Raymond Sseguya.
Hey Cyprian Nyakundi,
I am Raymond Sseguya. I am a former grieved One Acre Fund Ugandan employee.
I have just read the article on One Acre Fund that you published a few days ago.
I also had a bad experience with One Acre Fund Uganda and I was forced to take legal action against them. See attached some documents from last year that might be of interest to you. Thanks.
Due to mistreatment and discrimination, Sseguya resigned on 7th May, 2018 .The notice for resignation was supposed to take a month as required by law, but One Acre Fund effected it immediately, throwing Raymond into great confusion.
But it was nothing new, he had experienced this kind of barbaric behavior from the management of One Acre Fund.
Raymond went on to sue the organization.
See below, the information arranged by title.
Resignation of Raymond Sseguya drom the Position of Uganda Project Specialist Statistics
Raymond resigned due to unfavorable work conditions, that is, racism and conman ship.
Excerpts
On Monday May 7th 2018, I submitted my letter of resignation effective July 16th 2018 to One Acre Fund giving more than 2 months’ notice. My contract with One Acre Fund required me to give at least one month’ notice.
That same Monday May 7th at 12:47 pm, the HR, Brian Wamala, holding the title “People Division Program Associate” officially accepted my resignation. However, that same Monday, Joyce Ajok of HR sent me an email at 5:21 pm (outside office hours) instructing me, to paraphrase her words, to travel along with OAF items the next day Tuesday for audit purposes and these items include: OAF ID, Medical insurance cards,
laptop and laptop bag. I was very shocked that One Acre Fund wanted to audit me one day after I gave them my official notice of resignation. I did not anticipate what would happen the next because earlier that same day Monday May 7th at 2:08 pm, my manager Mohammed Moz Huq (A Bangladeshi), had calendared a meeting with me for Wednesday May 9th from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. I thought it was normal business as usual.
However, on the next day Tuesday May 8th, I was shocked to realize that my manager Mohammed was conniving with Brian of HR department to end my contract without notifying me in advance. Brian Wamala and I agreed to the “audit purposes” meeting on Tuesday May 8th at 4:30 pm. However, I arrived at the office premises at 4:30 pm from a field study visit and I waited for Brian. Because I was waiting too long, I wrote Brian an email at 4:56 pm asking whether the “audit purposes” meeting was still on. I continued waiting and later the meeting took place outside office hours. Brian Wamala asked me to turn over my work laptop, laptop bag, employee ID and medical insurance card. Brian also told me to come other days and turn over my internet modem and the medical insurance cards that were used by my mother and youngest sibling. I turned over my laptop, laptop bag, medical insurance card and employee ID and I even signed “acknowledgement of receipt” documents to that effect. Brian also told me that I was no longer an employee of One Acre Fund and if I wanted to access the office premises again, I am required to first make an appointment. Brian Wamala told me to sign a document agreeing to end my contract on May 8th as a requirement for me to receive my terminal benefits considered until July 16th 2018. I was very shocked
because I thought I had a meeting the next day Wednesday May 9th with my line manager Mohammed Moz Huq from 11:30 pm to 12:30 pm to discuss a transition process and plan.
That evening I was very confused. I could hardly sleep. I was very tired from the field visit and I had just received a shocker. I refused to sign the document ending my contract and the document showing my terminal benefits because my mind was not in the right place.
I was very suspicious of Mohammed Moz Huq, Brian Wamala and Allison Kasozi after the manner in which they handled me. I was not even sure whether they would indeed pay my money and that further led me to seek the legal representation Counsel Rose Mildred Nassiwa of Nassiwa and Company Chambers.
Counsel Nassiwa wrote to One Acre Fund, in a letter dated May 15th 2018, instructing them to pay my terminal benefits amounting to UGX 4,754,200 (four million seven hundred fifty four thousand two
hundred shillings). One Acre Fund wrote back to my lawyer Counsel Nassiwa, in a letter dated May 18th 2018 clarifying that I would be paid exactly the money amounting to UGX 4,754,200 (four million seven hundred fifty four thousand two hundred shillings).
However, on Thursday May 24th at 12:51pm, I received a message from Stanbic bank notifying me that One Acre Fund had paid me UGX 4,667,031 (four million six hundred sixty seven thousand thirty one shillings). The amount of money I received was less by UGX 87,169 (eighty seven thousand one hundred sixty nine). I
wondered why my money had been deducted. So far the One Acre Fund management had behaved in a very unprofessional manner so I did not anticipate to get a good explanation from them.
To cut the long story short, two people from western countries had resigned and weren’t treated the way i was treated. How can a resignation that is supposed to take months be effected immediately?
STATEMENT TO THE POLICE WHISTLEBLOWING ABOUT THE ECONOMIC CRIMES OF ONE ACRE FUND UGANDA
Excerpts from a 91 paged document.
Letter to Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC): One Acre Fund Uganda Infringes on My Human Rights To Freedom of Speech and Expression
Shortened from the document
I am Raymond Sseguya. I am a former employee of One Acre Fund Uganda being in their service from August 21st 2017 to May 8th 2018. Notwithstanding my other racial discrimination complaint against One Acre Fund that I filed with the Equal Opportunities Commission with reference number E0C/ER/037/2018 and that is going to being investigated, I would like to file another complaint against the same company with Uganda Human Rights Commission on the grounds of infringement of my human right to freedom of speech and expression. The employment contract that One Acre Fund required me to sign reads on page 3 that:
“As part of this agreement, you are required to refrain from posting any information in public forums including newspapers, social media, television, or radio, with negative connotation concerning your employment history with One Acre Fund.” A copy of my employment contract with One Acre Fund is attached.
However, Article 29 (1) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda reads: “(1) Every person shall have the right to (a) freedom of speech and expression which shall include freedom of the press and other media:”
I strongly contend that One Acre Fund Uganda seeks to prevent black or African employees like myself from whistleblowing or making disclosures about the racial discrimination human rights abuses during work by forcing them to sign employment contracts with that highlighted clause.
Moreover. in accordance with the Whistleblowers Protection Act 2010 which lists Uganda Human Rights Commission as one of the organizations that may receive whistleblower information, I hereby whistle blow against One Acre Fund contending that the aforementioned illegal clause is fixed in the contracts of many other Ugandan employees of the same company to scare them from whistleblowing. A copy of an employment contract of another employee of the same company showing that same illegal clause is also attached.
Finally, since One Acre Fund Uganda designed that illegal clause in my employment contract with them to remain in force even after I am no longer in their service, I hereby complain to the Uganda Human Rights Commission for both the past and current infringements of my human right to freedom of speech and expression by the same company. I also request to be compensated for the human right infringement.
Complaint to Economic Opportunities Commission – Raymond Sseguya vs One Acre Fund
Letter To Internal Revenue Service (IRS): ONE ACRE FUND IS ENGAGED IN COMMERCIAL, FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
This is the bombshell; One Acre Fund engages in tax fraud.
The company is violating United States law about “Tax Exempt Organization” status and that I made a filing with the United States Internal Revenue Service.
See below (from a document):
On the website of One Acre Fund, they claim to be a “NONPROFIT social enterprise” and they are also registered in the United States as a “Tax Exempt Organization” with “EIN: 20-3668110 | Highland Park, IL, United States”. However, for the short time I worked with them, I clearly witnessed that they engage in commercial and for-profit business activities in my country Uganda. I have evidence. I archived a copy of my
work email which contains my over 2000 work emails with One Acre Fund.
On March 19th 2018 at 8:43 pm Uganda time, in an email communication titled “2018 Input delivery celebration”, the country director Sebastian Fellhauer, writes that “Working with 35% or 5,840 less farmers than planned means that we have lost revenue of more than 1,800,000,000 UGX. This is money that we had planned and budgeted for and that we now need to recover.” A copy of this email is attached.
On December 8th 2017 at 3:15 pm Uganda time, in an email communication titled “2017 Repayment Post-Mortem Report”, another high ranking company official shares a report in which on page 7 out of 56, it mentions a total credit (money to be collected from farmers) of “Total 1,710,089,000 UGX (~$478,825USD)”. This 56-page report is very interesting as it reveals a lot more about their engaging in commercial activities. Copies of this email and report are attached.
I must also point out that the employment contract that One Acre Fund required me to sign reads on page 3 that: “As part of this agreement, you are required to refrain from posting any information in public forums including newspapers, social media, television, or radio, with negative connotation concerning your
employment history with One Acre Fund.” This clause is very suspicious.
I request you to investigate and possibly prosecute One Acre Fund. Thank you
ALSO READ: One Acre Fund – In the Name of Africa’s Poorest, for the Glory of the White Man
