Trade minister Francis Mwebesa has appointed Mr. Alfred Oyo Andima as the new accounting officer for the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, replacing Ms. Geraldine Ssali. This decision follows a letter from Mr. Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary in the Finance Ministry, instructing Minister Mwebesa to expedite the appointment of a new accounting officer for the Trade Ministry after removing Ms. Ssali from her position. The move to remove Ms. Ssali was based on recommendations from the Parliament Committee on Trade, chaired by Mr. Mwine Mpaka, which cited irregularities during her tenure.
In his response to Mr. Ggoobi’s letter, Minister Mwebesa nominated Mr. Andima for the role. The removal of Ms. Ssali is intended to allow investigations into allegations of misappropriation of funds within the Trade Ministry.
Mr. Mpaka, the chair of the Parliament Committee, welcomed the developments, stating that it reflects the seriousness with which their work is being taken. However, the House is yet to receive official communication from the Trade Ministry regarding these changes.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Ms. Ssali were unsuccessful as of press time.
More Allegations Uncovered
In a related development, Mr. Mpaka’s committee is concluding its investigations into alleged financial misconduct involving cooperative leaders and Trade Ministry officials or politicians. It is believed that an undisclosed amount of money, possibly in the billions, was misappropriated in collaboration with certain cooperative leaders.
Speaker Anita Among sanctioned this investigation on August 29, calling for a value-for-money audit of various cooperatives in the country. The probe, conducted behind closed doors, has questioned officials from the Trade, Finance, and Justice Ministries, as well as leaders from different cooperatives.
Mr. Mpaka explained that, due to the nature of cash transactions involved, testimonies from witnesses have played a crucial role in the investigation. To ensure the safety and freedom of these witnesses, closed sessions were deemed necessary. However, the Trade committee has faced challenges in verifying claims and getting some cooperatives and witnesses to cooperate.
Mr. Mpaka expressed concern over the non-appearance of certain cooperatives, such as East Mengo Cooperative, despite multiple invitations. As a result, the committee has sought assistance from the police to locate these individuals and witnesses as they continue to analyze the documentation.
| Key Points |
|---|
| – Ms. Geraldine Ssali has been replaced as the accounting officer for the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives by Mr. Alfred Oyo Andima. |
| – The decision to remove Ms. Ssali came after recommendations from the Parliament Committee on Trade, citing irregularities during her tenure. |
| – Trade Minister Francis Mwebesa nominated Mr. Andima as the new accounting officer. |
| – The removal of Ms. Ssali allows for investigations into allegations of fund misappropriation within the Trade Ministry. |
| – Mr. Mwine Mpaka, chair of the Parliament Committee, expressed satisfaction with the seriousness of their work being recognized. |
| – The ongoing probe is investigating allegations of financial misconduct involving cooperative leaders and officials from the Trade Ministry. |
| – The closed-door sessions in the investigation are conducted to protect witnesses and facilitate their testimonies. |
| – Some cooperatives and witnesses have not cooperated with the investigation, leading to police involvement in locating them. |
