President Museveni has intervened in the matter of Ms. Geraldine Ssali’s removal as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, directing her immediate reinstatement. Ms. Ssali had been removed from her position due to financial discrepancies amounting to Shs8 billion. The removal had been executed by Mr. Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance. In his capacity, Mr. Ggoobi had requested Minister Francis Mwebesa to nominate a new accounting officer pending an investigation into the financial queries.
President Museveni’s directive is conveyed through a letter dated October 22, and further reinforced in a subsequent letter dated October 26 by Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, the head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet. In her letter to Mr. Ggoobi, she states: “This is to request you to immediately reinstate Ms. Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa as the accounting officer for the Ministry of Trade and Cooperatives as per the President’s directive.” The letter has been copied to high-ranking officials including the Vice President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Trade minister, and Ms. Ssali. As of now, Mr. Ggoobi’s response to the President’s directive remains undisclosed.
Ms. Ssali’s troubles began during a parliamentary investigation into alleged financial misappropriation of supplementary funds for the financial year 2021/2022. A parliamentary committee recommended her removal from the role of accounting officer, accusing her of various charges, including abuse of office, causing financial loss, and negligence of duty. Parliament adopted the committee’s report in August.
The investigation highlighted Ms. Ssali’s failure to oversee the proper use of funds allocated for the renovation of the ministry’s offices at Farmers House. The parliamentary committee proposed investigations into ministry officials involved, such as Tom Opio, Daniel Kalule, Deo Byaruhanga, and Rosemary Asiimwe, to be conducted by the Inspectorate of Government and the Directorate of Public Prosecution under the Anti-Corruption Act, 2009. The MPs also recommended that Ms. Ssali potentially face prosecution for her alleged misuse of authority.
In a letter dated October 3, Mr. Ggoobi quoted the parliamentary probe committee’s recommendation, emphasizing that Ms. Ssali’s alleged participation in fraudulent practices costing the government necessitated the withdrawal of her appointment as an accounting officer under the Public Finance Management Act.
Mr. Ggoobi also took action against Mr. Tom Opio, an office attendant at the ministry, for his involvement in procurement activities. Mr. Opio, although designated as an office attendant, had undertaken procurement activities with Ms. Ssali’s approval, despite his job title. Mr. Ggoobi’s response was based on the fact that Mr. Opio held a procurement degree, although his official designation did not reflect this.
Following Ms. Ssali’s removal, Trade Minister Francis Mwebesa nominated Mr. Alfred Oyo Andima, the undersecretary of finance and administration at the ministry, as the new accounting officer. The appointment and removal of accounting officers in various ministries are routine procedures, with the Secretary to the Treasury wielding authority in such matters under Article 164 of the 1995 Constitution and Section 45 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), 2015.
