The Former Education Ministry Permanent Secretary, Alex Kakooza has been appointed in the acting capacity as Trade Permanent Secretary, replacing Geraldine Ssali who was stealthily arrested by the Anti-Corruption Court for allegedly causing financial loss and colluding with Members of Parliament to embezzle cooperative societies’ funds.
In a letter, dated 25th, July 2024, the trade ministry Under Secretary, Alfred Ayo Andima revealed that the Minister, Mwebesa Francis instructed him to invite Kakooza in the boardroom with the purpose of introducing and welcoming him as the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade.
Present in the meeting were; Francis Mwebesa, the Minister of Trade, the Ministers of State, undersecretaries, directors and commissioners of the Ministry.
Kakooza served as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education up to 2021 and later transferred to the President’s office as Principal Private Secretary to the President.
Geraldine Ssali was charged on July 18, 2024, by the Anti-Corruption Court for allegedly causing financial loss and colluding with Members of Parliament to embezzle cooperative societies’ funds and remanded to Luzira Prison together with Michael Mawanda of Igara East, Ignatius Mudimi of Elgon county and Paul Akamba of Busiki county.
Ssali has been battling with the top management at the ministry with several accusations which saw her being suspended in October, 2023, by the Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, while serving as the Ministry’s accounting officer on the recommendations of a Parliament inquiry over alleged acts of corruption at the Ministry.
