The Finance Minister Matia Kasaija has ordered the interdicted Executive Director of the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) Jolly Kaguhangire to vacate office, paving the way for investigations into her activities at the agency.
The development comes following a meeting between Kaguhangire, the UIA board and president Yoweri Museveni at State House on July 5, 2018. Kaguhangire had refused to leave office as advised by the UIA board to open up investigations into crimes she was alleged to have committed.
According to the letter which minister Kasaija wrote on July 9, Kaguhangire was supposed to hand over the office to UIA to Basil Ajer, director of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) on Wednesday this week. The board appointed, Ajer as the acting executive director pending investigations.
“Please take this matter in good spirit as it is a process to determine whether the accusations against your office and person bear any substance or not, “reads part of the letter that was copied to president Museveni.
Museveni attended the meeting that ordered Kaguhangire to leave office for a while as investigations kick off.
Kaguhangire will have to wait for three months to know her fate as the UIA Chairman Dr. Emely Kugonza has been tasked to produce a report on the matter within that period.
In late June Kaguhangire was interdicted and sent on forced leave for three months over a number of allegations including abuse of office, corruption, insubordination, misleading and lying to the board.
However, in defiance of the board’s decision, Kaguhangire wrote back, saying she would not vacate office. She argued that there was no quorum when the decision to interdict her was taken by the board and that the meeting was called at short notice. Museveni would later come in to settle the confusion at UIA.
Kaguhangire was appointed UIA ED effective April 1, 2017. Kugonza said then that Kaguhangire’s track record of managing corporate business plans and reforms in Uganda Revenue Authority made the board to point her as UIA at the time needed someone like her to implement the Strategic Plan 2016-2021.
Kaguhangire is said to be a highly accomplished strategic leader with immense experience of 23 years in serving a wide range of people and change management programs.