Who is Aminah Zawedde, Permanent Secretary in Shs965m car controversy?

According to Chimpreports.com, this controversial purchase is among several payments flagged as suspicious by the Auditor General, who has requested detailed information from Zawedde. The purchase has been under investigation by both the Auditor General and the police since 2023. Reports indicate that the cost of the car should not exceed Shs 650 million.

Dr. Aminah Zawedde Pulse Live Uganda

Additionally, it is noted that at the time of the purchase, CFAO Motors Uganda was the exclusive manufacturer-authorised distributor of brand-new Toyota vehicles and genuine parts in Uganda.

In response to the allegations, the ministry issued a statement on August 4, clarifying the situation.

The statement read: "We acknowledge circulating media reports regarding the procurement of vehicles at the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance. Contrary to the allegations made therein that a single vehicle was procured at UGX965m, it is crucial to clarify that the Ministry procured two vehicles and not one.

"The number plates of the two procured vehicles are UG 0057N and UG 0058N. The procurement process was open bidding and strictly adhered to the guidelines set by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA), and contracts were cleared by the office of the Solicitor General. It is therefore worth noting that due process was followed."

The ministry also reiterated its commitment to "the principles of open government, transparency, and accountability."

Furthermore, the Director of Audit – Forensic Investigations and IT Audits requested Dr. Aminah Zawedde to disclose how the non-tax revenue collected by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) from telecom companies is being utilised. The UCC collects levies from telecommunication operators like MTN and Airtel, which are partly used by the ICT Ministry to fund its activities.

Dr. Aminah Zawedde Pulse Live Uganda

ChimpReports revealed that in September 2023, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Ramathan Ggoobi, blocked Dr. Aminah Zawedde from accessing Shs 6.7 billion of Non-Tax Revenue (NTR) collected by UCC to prevent potential misuse. Dr. Zawedde’s contract expired on June 31, 2024.

Education and career background of Dr. Aminah Zawedde

Dr. Aminah Zawedde has served as the Permanent Secretary of the ICT Ministry since July 15, 2022. She holds a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, an MSc. in Computer Science from Makerere University, a PGDip in Educational Technologies from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, a PGD in Education from the Islamic University in Uganda, and a BSc. in Statistics and Economics from Makerere University.

Dr. Zawedde has supervised several PhD and Masters students, who have received commendable awards in ICT. Her expertise spans ICT advisory, business transformation, digital economy, research, modelling for decision support, process improvement, system integration, and capacity building.

See: Uganda ICT delegation to make a parallel visit to Japan's ICT sector

She is a Director on the Board of Directors of the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) and a Non-Executive Director at DFCU Group. Before her role as Permanent Secretary, she was a lecturer and senior researcher at the School of Computing and Informatics Technology, Makerere University.

Her Wikipedia entry notes that she held various positions at Makerere University and other organisations, including the Electoral Commission of Uganda, Uganda Revenue Authority, Infectious Diseases Institute, and KCA University in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dr. Aminah Zawedde has experience as an IT consultant on both local and international projects and leads research projects on capacity building for sustainable ICT for Development (ICT4D). She is a member of the International System Dynamics Society, a founding member of the System Dynamics Africa Chapter, and currently serves as the Organising Secretary of this Chapter. She has authored and published papers in IT peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.

Read: Government set to roll out policy on National Communications

During her tenure as Board Director and Chairperson of the Digital Transformation Committee at NITA-U, numerous achievements have been realised, reflecting her role in guiding policy direction and strategies.

Dr. Zawedde is also a Non-Executive Director at DFCU Group, a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala Maisha, and the Board Chairperson of Mustardseed Junior School.