Just after a few weeks of her arrest on corruption allegations, President Museveni has sacked the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Geraldine Ssali.
Ssali has now been replaced by the former Ministry of Education P.S, Alex Kakooza.
Mr. Kakooza was introduced during the Ministry of Trade top management committee meeting on Friday morning.
The top management meeting was convened by Francis Mwebesa, the Minister of Trade and attended by the Ministers of State, under secretaries, directors and commissioners of the Ministry.
Ssali, was apprehended and charged on July 18, 2024, by the Anti-Corruption Court for allegedly causing financial loss and colluding with Members of Parliament to embezzle cooperative societies’ funds.
She has since been remanded to Luzira Prison together with Michael Mawanda of Igara East, Ignatius Mudimi of Elgon county and Paul Akamba of Busiki county.
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.
However, President Museveni ordered the reinstatement of Ssali 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.”
She would later be involved in petty fights at her workplace before being accused of corruption hence the sacking..