The High Court in Kampala has set September 27 for hearing the case in which former NSSF Managing Director Dr. Richard Byarugaba, dragged the Minister for Labour Hon Betty Amongi challenging her decision of declining his reappointment at the helm of the worker’s fund.
The case has been handed to the head of the High Court Civil Division, Justice Musa Ssekaana whose expertise in solving high-profile cases in the country speaks for itself.
In his file suit earlier on August 09, Dr. Byarugaba dragged the Attorney General and the minister who is the second respondent arguing that “the decision by the minister not to endorse his reappointment was malicious, given her known bias against him.”
Byarugaba also argues that Minister Amongi has for long shown her bias on occasions where she acted as accuser, prosecutor, and ultimately, a judge in matters relating to his job at the fund.
He, therefore, asked the court to issue orders whose effect would be to force the minister to enforce the board’s recommendation for his contract’s renewal, effective December 1, 2022.
Additionally, the embattled former NSS Boss also wants the High Court to rule that: “An order of certiorari issue, calling the Amongi’s communicated by the letter dated June 30, 2023, to the chairman of the board of the Fund, which rejected the recommendation by the board for the reappointment of the applicant (Byarugaba) to the position of managing director and further purported to direct the board to commence a new process of recruitment for the said position”.
Byarugaba also seeks “an order of mandamus issue, directing Amongi to discharge her statutory duty to complete the reappointment of the applicant to the position of managing director of NSSF as recommended by the board and required by the law.”
“Even before my second contract could run its course, Amongi attempted to bring it to a premature end. By letter addressed to me, the 2nd respondent claimed that I was supposed to have automatically retired upon reaching the age of 60, without reference to the Attorney General for advice, she ordered me to cease serving as managing director.”
“I know that Amongi’s attempts to prematurely retire me occurred after the board of directors of NSSF had recommended to her that my then deputy, Patrick Ayota, and I be granted new contracts effective December 1, 2022,” he adds.
The development comes barely a week after the Minister last week appointed Mr. Patrick Ayota to replace Byarugaba as NSSF Managing Director, hitting the last nail in the latter’s hopes to secure yet another term.
Ayota was handed the institution’s top job for a years after holding the position in an acting capacity for nine months.
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