The intrigue in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has taken another twist after Geraldine Ssali, the Permanent Secretary, was reported to police on allegations that she assaulted a junior staff member before interdicting her.
The Trade Ministry’s Head of Legal Department, Sandra Karen Anena, on Friday, April 5, 2024, opened a case file at Kampala Central Police Station against Ssali, accusing the latter of harassing and then slapping her following a disagreement.
However, Ssali has since interdicted lawyer, accusing her of assault and insubordination.
In the interdiction letter, Ssali accuses Anena of “gross unbecoming behaviour such as using abusive language against me, assaulting, threatening me, throwing items at me and insubordination which is irregular for a public officer of your calibre.”
The Kampala Report understands that the conflict started on April 4 when the head of Human Resource at the ministry, Ms Lydia Aliwonya, informed Anena that the legal department needed to move to create space for the new State Minister of Trade, General Wilson Mbadi.
Anena told Aliwonya that she would temporarily move to join other colleagues such as Julius Kasirye whose office had some space. The HR agreed.
The following day, according to according to an eyewitness, when Ssali found Anena in the new office, she was pissed off and ordered the senior lawyer to vacate it in the next one hour because she (Ssali) needed the office.
Anena did not respond, furthering infuriating Ssali. However, as the lawyer prepared to leave the office, witnesses said the PS charged at her, slapped her and threw down some of her files, attracting attention of all the staff in the offices.
Ssali then reportedly ordered her body guard, a police officer, to drag Anena out of office. Aneno was taken to a small room and counselled to calm down.
The Kampala Report understands that the fallout between Anena and Ssali started when the lawyer refused to cover up suspicious transactions that Ssali was reportedly involved in as soon as she arrived at the Ministry.
Ssali then reportedly constituted a new procurement team composed of Anena’s Junior, David Mutegeki, who is said to have reported Anena’s every move to Ssali to gain favours, leading to cliques and intrigue.
During the Parliamentary probe into alleged financial misappropriation of supplementary funds by the Trade Ministry for the financial year 2021/22, Anena told the Committee that Ssali preferred the services of Mutegeki.
According to officials briefed about the chaos at the Ministry of Trade, Ssali reportedly denied Anena allowances and fuel and always made negative remarks in senior management meetings against her that bordered on provocation.
In October, 2023, the Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, suspended Ssali as the Ministry’s accounting officer on the recommendations of a Parliament inquiry into alleged acts of corruption at the Ministry.
Parliament had accused Ssali of failing to control the regularity and proper use of money appropriated to the vote for procurement of renovation works on offices used by the Ministry at Farmer’s House.
The House’s Trade Committee also accused Ssali of inflating the price of renovation works by Shs2 billion.
During the committee meeting held on July, 3 2023, Hon. Mwine Mpaka disclosed that the ministry had committed the government to a multi-year expenditure of Shs6 billion without obtaining authorization from Parliament, which he said is a violation of the Public Finance Management Act.
The meeting also revealed that the rehabilitation contract was awarded through direct procurement, bypassing necessary due diligence procedures.
However, President Museveni directed that she be reinstated as the Accounting Officer of the Ministry of Trade.
Lucy Nakyobe, the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, on October 26, 2023, wrote to Ggoobi asking him to “immediately reinstate” Ssali as the Accounting Officer for the Trade Ministry “as per the president’s directive.”