Questions are emerging over the circumstances surrounding the reported arrest and transfer of Abdul Ssebiina, an IT professional described by associates as a key technical mind behind CHiNT’s operational software, amid allegations of a dispute over ownership and control of the technology powering the company’s outlets in Uganda.
According to information provided by individuals familiar with the matter, Ssebiina was reportedly detained at Jinja Road Police Station from Friday and subsequently transferred to the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka. Concerns have been raised about the duration of his detention, the reasons for his transfer, and whether the applicable constitutional and legal requirements have been observed.
As of the time of writing, the specific grounds for his arrest, the status of any investigations, and the official position of the police had not been independently established. The relevant authorities should therefore clarify the circumstances of his detention and provide information on his legal status.
The Man Behind The Technology
Abdul Ssebiina is described by people familiar with his work as a gifted IT professional and a central figure in the development of CHiNT’s operational software. He is also credited by his associates with involvement in the development of the Sunda Water prepaid metering system and CHiNT’s private prepaid metering technology.
The software is reportedly an important component of the operations of CHiNT’s business outlets, including CHiNT Centre on Jinja Road, the Kampala Electric Market on Sixth Street, and the CHiNT outlet at Nakasero Market.
If these claims are substantiated, Ssebiina’s technical contributions could raise important questions about intellectual property ownership, software licensing, compensation, and the rights of the individuals responsible for developing technology used in commercial operations.
At the centre of the controversy is an allegation that a disagreement arose after CHiNT’s management allegedly sought to obtain full rights to the software without paying Ssebiina for those rights.
This allegation has not been independently verified, and no conclusion should be drawn about the intentions of the company’s management without hearing all sides of the dispute.
Nevertheless, the reported disagreement raises a significant question: When a software developer creates technology that becomes central to a company’s business, who owns the software, and what happens when the developer and the investor disagree over its ownership?
Investment Versus Intellectual Property Rights
Foreign investment plays an important role in Uganda’s commercial and technological development. However, investment in a business does not automatically settle every question concerning ownership of software, inventions, or other intellectual property.
The legal position depends on the facts, including the terms of any employment or development agreement, the source of funding, the circumstances in which the software was created, and whether intellectual property rights were formally assigned or licensed.
In Ssebiina’s case, the central issue is whether there is a documented agreement governing the ownership and transfer of the software, and whether the parties have complied with their respective contractual obligations.
If a genuine disagreement exists, the parties should be encouraged to pursue a lawful and transparent resolution rather than allowing uncertainty to undermine confidence in the business relationship.
The police should also clarify whether the reported detention concerns an alleged criminal offence or a dispute arising from commercial and intellectual property arrangements. The precise nature of the allegations matters because a contractual disagreement and a criminal investigation are not necessarily the same thing.
Questions About Working Conditions
Separate concerns have also been raised about the working conditions at the company’s outlets.
Information supplied by individuals familiar with the operations alleges that some workers have experienced difficult working conditions and irregular salary payments.
These claims remain unverified. Employees who have experienced delayed or unpaid wages should be able to raise their concerns through appropriate labour channels, while the company should have an opportunity to explain its employment practices and respond to the allegations.
If established, violations of workers’ rights would warrant appropriate attention from the relevant labour authorities.
The allegations should not be treated as proven findings against any particular individual or company without supporting evidence.
Who Is Responsible For The Software?
The reported controversy brings the role of software developers in Uganda’s technology and business sectors into focus.
Behind many commercial operations are individuals whose technical knowledge makes it possible for businesses to function efficiently. Yet disputes can arise when the ownership of the technology, the rights of its creator, and the commercial interests of investors have not been clearly documented.
In the case of CHiNT, establishing who developed the operational software, who currently holds the legal rights, and what agreements govern its use will be essential to understanding the dispute.
Relevant evidence could include software development records, source-code history, contracts, payment records, intellectual property registrations where applicable, and communications between the parties. Such evidence would help distinguish documented facts from competing claims.
Call For Clarity And Transparency
The reported transfer of Ssebiina to the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka has heightened the need for clear information about his legal status and the circumstances surrounding the investigation.
The police should clarify the grounds for his detention, the nature of any allegations against him, and the applicable legal process. Ssebiina should be afforded his constitutional rights, including access to legal representation and protection against unlawful detention.
CHiNT’s management, including the individuals responsible for the company’s operations, should also be given an opportunity to respond to the allegations concerning software ownership, compensation, and workplace conditions.
No party should be presumed guilty of wrongdoing merely because allegations have been made.
Ultimately, the public deserves a clear account of the facts: Who developed the software that reportedly powers CHiNT’s operations? What agreements govern its ownership? What led to Ssebiina’s reported arrest? And have the rights of all parties been respected?
Until these questions are answered through credible evidence and official clarification, the circumstances surrounding the matter remain unresolved.
Author Profile
- Mr. Jacko David Waluluka is another unique entertainment and general investigative news writer, a field he has diligently covered for over fifteen years. He’s also the Chief Administrator at The Investigator. He can easily be reached via [email protected]
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I feel so bad about what has happened to Abdul Sebina and Derrick because they have been very hardworking people when it comes to Chint’s IT I personally saw them working tirelessly for Chint’s betterment concerning IT and Abdul has been a very good friend to the director herself madam Sherry but am not surprised if she has betrayed him because as far as I know she is good at that . She will befriend you , use you and after she dumps you have seen her Laying off (firing) skilled workers after getting their skills from them she gets rid of you because she fears people who out smart her she thinks she’s the smartest so smart people become a threat to her . Chint is one company that brings out this saying that (all that glitters is not gold 😂😂) the building glitters but out of experience you will suffer from that company till you give up or till your fired. First of all they don’t give contracts to employees except a few and of which in the whole company you are I’ll find only 5 employees out of 300 plus employees with contracts and all the rest have no contracts they are just on verbal agreements they pay little salary and also they will chop it at the end of the month because of unsatisfying reasons they do not give allowances and they do not give overtime to their workers to the only department that’s entitled to overtime they will pay 2k , 3k at times 5k for overtime compensation regardless of the hours you work for u can work till midnight and your not given overtime and when u come abit late the following morning they will chop your money on getting salary u will not get the exact agreed salary at Chint 98% of the employees get chopped salary workers always feel bad on salary day because they find the salary promised is not the actual money they have received I was once a victim and the boss is good at fake promises she will manipulate u to allow un documented agreements so that she can easily go out of it because at the back of her mind she knows she has made a fool of you she won’t fulfill the verbal promises she promised us commission and we made her a lot of money and she refused to give us our commission every time we could ask for it she promises us that am giving u today 😂and today passes u go back after some days she promises again and she doesn’t pay u till u give up on her😂Madam sherry ( Shi Jiane) she is the worst boss ever 😭Sebina thought she was her good friend but in my heart I knew she would one day play her dirty 😂Chint is one company that will fire you without your consent and without compensation because you have no contract in the first place and it’s a big company after all u can not win it even when you sue it the rate at which they fire people is alarming the director just wakes up and she feels like firing you and she does she depends on rumours whether true or wrong she will fire you Chint managers are all clothed with fear 😨 they will be in meetings but only to dictate to them they fear talking about the bad working conditions because they fear being fired cos they need to survive some even collaborate with the director to fire innocent people because some managers are also evil instead of managers workers they only fight them they will report wrong information about you to the director and she will just fire you out of the blue your gone at Chint 5 workers can be fired in every week and new ones keep coming in they will bring a replacement the exact day they fire you meaning they plan for you without knowing anything and u will be fired without any compensation it’s the worst part of it some people have families to cater for but imagine loosing work without having planned it for at Chint they will give u 3 days leave in a whole year and sick leave is inclusive on the 3 days so if you use those 3 days in a year the rest of the days if u miss work the money for that day won’t be paid and the most hurting thing if I miss work on Mondays or Saturdays regardless of the reason they will chop money for 2 days imagine missing one day and they chop money for 2 days and at Chint Even if your sick 😷 and you miss work they will chop the money and they will want you show proof but still the money is chopped they ain’t sympathetic that people become sick or can also get some reasons to why they miss work and they are supposed to pay full salary to the worker because their salary is very little 😭Chint is one company I have seen where 99% of the workers are always looking for new jobs imagine being employed but job hunting 😂😂 and those Chinese ( directors) are so good at corruption and bribes they feel they are so connected so they will use their money to bribe and corrupt any one in case they need something or they want to get rid of someone we are so sick and tired of Chint many people are victims of Chint bad treatments to its employe done by the director Shi Jiane known as sherry and her kiganda name Namutebu she should change on the way she is treating Ugandan workers personally she refused to pay my commission till I gave up and left her company after working so hard for that money to the extent of nearly loosing my life because there days I could leave that lighting building like at midnight and at times at 1:00am imagine in the night and am a gal I survived death when I bumped into thieves and stole my belongings and wen they got to know no one even took it serious all they care about is their company but the employees they don’t care about them and at Chint is we’re u will see aged employees being abused and given no respect just know I wasn’t paid my money left in vain but at least people should know about that company and the government should respond and ask that company to change that company doesn’t pay Nssf for its workers , no issurance be it medical no leave hooo up to now I haven’t healed on all that I saw and experienced at Chint
I would like to particularly speak on the issue of poor working conditions at Chint. My name is Shirley, I worked at Chint Jinja Road for close to 9months but I can confirm that Chint has the worst working conditions ever. Salaries are paid late, NSSF is almost not paid at all, I never received a coin on my NSSF account for the time I was there. We would leave office sometimes past midnight, overtime not paid, we even work on Public holidays, We didn’t even have contracts so it was hard to whistleblow, we didn’t have leave days, when you miss work for whatever reason your salary is not paid for the time you’re away even when you’re sick or lost a loved one. Those Chinese are racists. There was a time a cleaner was beaten then fired. Serious investigations should be done in that place otherwise very many Ugandans are suffering from there.
What was done to Abdul and Derrick is unfair and forced me to say something-I witnessed their capture and it was all wrong from the use of the army to telling one officer to stay behind and given money plainly. Sherry has a lot pride and ego, she thinks she is untouchable. Even us lower ranking Chinese we are not safe against her ego & pride, we are brought from China on forged documents when applying for VISA, forged by Sherry herself mainly through her assistant Prillah and Diana Kasembo, after arriving in Uganda. Our passport is removed without clear reason can you imagine. We are kept inside at all times we only move out on Sundays we are like slaves. Imagine how wrong it is to bring someone from her own country on forged documents force them to work irregular hours and encouraged to segregate the “Black”. Sherry is not a good person she is a hypocrite to everyone regardless whether you are Chinese or not. She thinks she has a lot of power in this country and is untouchable. She always told us not to worry when we raised issues about forged documents,she said that she has alot of government officials in her pocket, that in case someone complains she will just throw money at them. Her and her GM Vincent Wei Ming have this tendency of bribing government officials very common with her 2 assistants also involved that is Diana Kasembo and Prillah on level 5 of Chint Centre.
Chint Uganda is a bad work place and the Uganda ministry of labour and that of immigration should be involved. 90% of everyone at Chint whether Chinese, Indian, African, Philippino, Pakistani, Arab are frustrated and, the problem is her-Sherry, Wei Ming, Alina and other members of her extended Chinese family.