The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has issued a statement this Monday afternoon, April 8th, 2024, dismissing media reports that its Permanent Secretary, Mrs Geraldine Ssali assaulted one of the ministry staffers.
Reports came out over the weekend that on Friday, April 5th, Mrs Ssali slapped Senior Legal Officer Sandra Karyn Aneno, who in turn reported the PS to the police.
However, according to the Ministry's statement, the situation arose from a workplace reorganization effort to allocate space for the incoming Minister of State for Trade, Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi.
The statement noted that the Permanent Secretary, leading a team, visited various floors of Farmers House, the ministry's office building, to identify suitable areas.
The statement detailed the reorganization process, which involved painting vacant offices, relocating records, and reassigning some ministry staff, including support personnel and Ms. Aneno, to different workspaces. All those affected reportedly complied, except for Ms. Aneno.
The Ministry's account alleges that Ms. Aneno responded with "abusive language (profanities)" towards the management team led by Ms. Ssali, in the presence of colleagues.
The statement claims security personnel intervened to prevent Ms. Aneno from becoming physical while she continued verbally accosting the team leader.
The Ministry's response further states that Ms. Aneno's behavior led to her interdiction, a temporary suspension pending investigation.
They maintain that media reports, particularly a headline in the New Vision publication, were "unresearched, reckless, and sensational," designed to deflect from the true events and hinder the investigation.
The Ministry emphasized that no physical assault, including slapping, occurred. They claim to have reported the "criminal aspects of the matter" to the police for further handling.
Peci Victoria Nansikombi, the Ministry's Senior Human Resource Officer, signed the statement, refuting the assault allegations.
This Ministry statement directly contradicts previous reports by the New Vision and other online outlets which alleged that Ms. Ssali assaulted Ms. Anena.
The outlets reported that the incident stemmed from a clash on the third floor of Farmers House, and that after it was reported to the Police, Ms. Ssali interdicted Ms. Aneno, accusing her of various forms of misconduct, including using abusive language, assault, threats, and insubordination.
The interdiction letter reportedly stipulated a half-salary pay cut and restrictions on Ms. Aneno's movement. The letter also demanded a written explanation from Ms. Aneno within seven days.
Suspension Document:-
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