Kampala, Uganda | NOW THEN DIGITAL — President Museveni has instructed Uganda’s Ministry of Finance to immediately reinstate Geraldine Busulwa Ssali as the top accounting officer for the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives. Ssali was previously dismissed by Trade Minister Francis Mwebesa earlier this month, based on recommendations from the Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, following a report by the Parliament trade committee that supported her suspension due to fraud and irregularities during her tenure.
In a letter dated October 26, Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Lucy Nakyobe, conveyed the presidential directive, issued on October 22, to reinstate Ssali as the accounting officer. She had been replaced by Mr. Alfred Oyo Andima as the accounting officer during her suspension.
Ssali’s suspension was initiated to allow for investigations into allegations of fund misappropriation at the Ministry of Trade. Mr. Andima had been named as her replacement but held the position for less than a month.
Among the issues raised by the Parliament’s trade committee in mid-2023 were Ssali’s approval of inflated cash advances for questionable transport-related activities. Furthermore, it was revealed that Ssali had spent over Shs550 million on transporting ministry documents from Kampala to Entebbe, a distance of approximately 34 km. The committee also held her accountable for the suspected inflation of the estimated cost of renovating Farmer’s House, the current location of the Ministry of Trade, from Shs4.6 billion to Shs6.2 billion.
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