President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the reinstatement of Geraldine Ssali as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade.
The Head of Public Service and Secretary to Treasury, Lucy Mbonye Nakyobe referred to Museveni’s letter dated 22nd October to reinstate Ssali.
“This is to request you to reinstate Ms. Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa as the Accounting Officer of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives as per the President’s directive,” Lucy Mbonye wrote to PS Ggoobi.
Ssali was dropped on 5th October 2023 by the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramadan Ggoobi.
In the letter dated 3rd October 2023 to the Ministry of Trade and co-operatives, PS Ramadan Ggoobi noted, “Reference is made on the report on the investigation into the utilization of the supplementary funds to your office for the FY 2021-2022 where Parliament received that the secretary to the treasury should exercise his authority under Section 11(2) c of the Public Finance Management Act 2015 to the appointment and designation of Ms. Geraldine Ssali as an Accounting Officer for the Ministry of trade Industry and Cooperatives.”
After sacking Ssali, Ggoobi guided, “I therefore request the minister of trade to nominate a suitable officer to execute the duties of the accounting officer as allegations against Geraldine Ssali and others are being investigated.”
In the same letter the Accountant General Tom Opio has also with immediate effect been denied access to the Electronic Government Procurement system.
“You are also informed that Mr. Tom Opio has been removed from the Electronic Government Procurement system and Management is advised to liaise with the Accountant General to ensure that there are no disruptions in the Procurement processes,” Ggoobi told the Minister.
This development came after Parliament recommended the sacking of Geraldine Ssali, the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives over allegations of inflating the price for the renovation works at the Ministry Head Quarters at Farmers House in Kampala.
The decision was part of the recommendations contained in the report by Parliament’s Trade and Tourism Committee following probe into the utilisation of Shs5bn that was meant for the acquisition of new office Space at Kingdom Hall Kampala, but the top officials at the Ministry instead opted to use the funds to carry out renovations, a decision that raised queries than the Ministry was able to provide, thus prompting prove into the expenditure.
Mwine Mpaka, Chairperson Parliament’s Trade Committee while presenting the report faulted Ssali for failing to regulate and ensure proper utilization of funds which saw the cost of works inflated to a tune of Shs2bn.
“The Committee therefore finds that the Permanent Secretary Geraldiine Ssali is personally liable for the dubious and mysterious inflation of the estimated contract price from Shs4.664Bn to Shs6.2Bn without any formal or legal justification,” remarked Mpaka.
In sealing Ssali’s fate, Mpaka called on the Secretary to Treasury, Ramathan Ggoogbi who is charged with supervising all Permanent Secretaries and accounting officers to relieve Ssali of her duties for causing Government financial loss.
“The PSST exercises his authority to withdraw the appointment and designation of Ssali as an Accounting Officer of the Ministry of Trade in view of her failure to control the regularity and proper use of money appropriated to the vote in regard to the procurement of renovation works,” said Mpaka.