Museveni orders reinstatement of Ssali as trade ministry accounting officer
In this file photo, Trade, Industry and Cooperatives minister Francis Mwebesa (right) and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary (PS) Geraldine Ssali, arrive for a press conference in Kampala on July 6, 2023. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Geraldine Busulwa Ssali was fired from her position following a Parliament probe.
President Museveni has ordered Uganda’s ministry of finance to reinstate embattled Geraldine Busulwa Ssali as the top accounting officer for the ministry of trade, industry and cooperatives with immediate effect.
Ssali was sacked early this month by trade minister Francis Mwebesa, following recommendations by the secretary to the treasury Ramathan Ggoobi- after a report by the Parliament trade committee endorsed her suspension over fraud and irregularities that were committed at the ministry on her watch.
Through an October 26 letter seen by Monitor, head of public service and also secretary to the cabinet Lucy Nakyobe informed the secretary to the treasury of the October 22, presidential directive to reinstate Ssali as the accounting officer weeks after she was suspended and replaced with Mr Alfred Oyo Andima as the accounting officer.
"Reference is made to H.E. the President's letter concerning the above mentioned permanent secretary. This is to request you to immediately reinstate Ssali as the accounting officer for the ministry of trade, industry and cooperatives as per the president's directive," the letter read in part.
At the time of her suspension, Ggoobi indicated that her removal from office was “intended to allow other state actors to institute and conduct investigations into, among others, the allegations of misappropriation of funds at the trade ministry.”
This was followed by Mwebesa naming Mr Andima as replacement for Ssali, a position he has held for less than a month.
FYI
Among others, Parliament’s trade committee mid-2023 faulted Ssali for approving inflated cash advances for suspicious transport-related activities.
A parliament probe further established that Ssali spent over Shs550m, to transport ministry documents from Kampala at Farmer's House to Entebbe town in Wakiso District, which is approximately 34km away.
Additionally, the committee found her liable for the suspected inflation of the estimated cost of renovating Farmer's House, the current home of the trade ministry, from Shs4.6billion to Shs6.2billion.
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