Mpaka's Committee Not Yet About To Give Up On Trade Ministers Over Failure To Implement Parliament’s Resolutions On PS Ssali.

The Trade Committee of Parliament has dismissed officials from the Ministry of Trade over failure to implement Parliamentary resolutions from the Committee of Trade which recommended for censure of PS to trade Geraldine Ssali accused of misappropriation of close to shs.8bn.

L-R Trade Minister Hon. Francis Mwebesa and Trade Committee Chair Hon Mwine MPaka (Mbarara City South Mp)

The committee also continued scrutiny of the ministry’s budget 2023/24 indefinitely.

The officials led by Francis Mwebesa, David Bahati, and Harriet Ntabaazi appeared before the Trade Committee of Parliament chaired by Mwine Mpaka to present their ministerial budget.

However, before even the committee could start, the chairperson of the committee Mpaka demanded the action report on the Embattled Ps Trade Tourism and Industry accused of an alleged shs.8 bn scandal meant for the rent of office premises at Kingdom Hotel.

“There will be no more appropriation for the ministry of trade as you still have the same accounting officer be rest assured that this is the last time you’re going to meet this committee over the matter until we receive further guidance and this is beyond our mandate because these are resolutions of parliament not resolutions of this committee,” says Hon Mwine Mpaka  

In the report, parliament had recommended for censure of Geraldine Ssali for misappropriation of these funds.

Trade’s Accounting officer Geraldine Ssali

Committee members stamped over their feet to scrutinize their budget estimates to a ministry that undermines Parliamentary resolutions.

“You as ministers go and face the person who ordered and tell him that parliament has said A.B.C.D and were ready to face him because this is something which we shall jock with because this is the government money and once we are ground were are roasted by our voters, you still money and then for us we just approve no “says Hon Mohammed Kato Katoto 

Pleas from officials of Trade to pardon them went on deaf ears from committee members who are at a crossroads with PS to Trade Geraldine Ssali.

However, state minister for trade Harriet Ntabaazi disclosed that their hands are tied to put in place Parliamentary resolutions as the head of state president Yoweri Kaguta intervened in this matter and reinstated Geraldine Ssali.

‘the minister of finance implemented and the appointing authority said no bring back the person and this case what do we do? so it is you chair to guide together with this committee coz we have done our part and if there is anything to do with accountability! it is us to account and we shall do it but if it is about the individual killing the ministry, the ministry is an organization, an organization will stay and a person will go’’. Says Minister Harriet Ntabazi 

In the letter dated October 3, 2023, Ggoobi quoted the recommendation by the parliamentary probe committee that asked his office to exercise his authority under the Public Finance Management Act to withdraw the appointment and designation of Geraldine Ssali as an Accounting Officer over her alleged involvement in illegal and deliberate fraudulent practices that have cost the government a staggering 8 billion Shillings.

However, on October 26 in a letter from the head of the public service and also a secretary to the cabinet Lucy Nakyobe informed the secretary to the treasury of the October 22 presidential directive to restain Ssali as the accounting officer weeks after she was suspended and replaced with Alfred Oyo Andima as the accounting officer.