Museveni orders reinstatement of Geraldine Ssali as Trade Ministry Accounting Officer

Mrs Ssali was earlier this month dropped from the position amid corruption allegations.

But Lucy Nakyobe, the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet in her letter dated October 26, 2023 to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance Ramadhan Ggoobi, advised for the immediate reinstatement of Ssali.

She said this was an express directive from President Museveni.

“This is to request you to immediately reinstate Ms. Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa as the Accounting Officer of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives as per the president’s directive,” Nakyoobe’s letter reads in part.

It is understood that President Museveni ordered the return of Ssali last Sunday, October 22, about a fortnight after she was thrown out as the Trade Ministry Accounting Officer, by Ggoobi, the Finance Ministry PSST.

On Thursday, October 5, 2023, Minister of Trade Francis Mwebesa asked to recommend an officer to carry out the duties of the ministry’s accounting office in the absence of Ssali 

“The purpose of this letter is to request that you, as the supervising political head of the Ministry of Trade, recommend an officer to carry out the duties of the accounting officer as allegations against Ssali and others are being investigated,” the letter read.

This followed an investigation by Parliament's Committee on trade, tourism, and Industry on the ministry's utilization of the supplementary budget for the rent of new office premises for the financial year 2022-2022.

The committee, headed by Mwine Mpaka, said that Ssali irregularly utilized Shs. 5 billion that was meant to rent new premises as renovations of the ministry's offices went on.