By Kabuye Ronald
In a significant development, Geraldine Busuulwa Ssali, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, has been apprehended and formally charged before the Anti-Corruption Court on counts of abuse of office, causing financial loss, and conspiracy to defraud.
The charges stem from her alleged involvement in the mismanagement of funds designated for compensating cooperative unions and associations affected by past conflicts in Uganda.
Police initiated Ssali’s arrest following earlier summons related to discrepancies in the disbursement of funds intended for compensation. Particularly alarming is the case involving the Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union, which reportedly received UGX 2.744 billion from the government. Shockingly, UGX 936 million of this amount was allegedly disbursed to Mr. Victor Busuulwa as a purported “token of appreciation,” with an additional UGX 150 million provided to him as a cash loan. It has since been revealed that Victor Busuulwa is Geraldine Ssali’s husband, explaining the connection to her name.
This arrest places Ssali alongside several other notable figures previously implicated in similar financial scandals. Among them are Members of Parliament Michael Mawanda Maranga, Mudiimi Wamakuyu, Paul Akamba, lawyer Julius Kirya Taitankonko, and Leonard Kavundira, a Ministry of Trade official. These individuals were charged earlier for their alleged involvement in diverting over UGX 3.4 billion intended for war loss compensation to the Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society.
The case against Ssali and others is compounded by Parliament’s October 2023 report, which highlighted systemic irregularities in the Ministry’s financial management practices. The report, sanctioned by Speaker Anita Among, revealed fraudulent payments totaling UGX 48.77 billion disbursed between FY 2019/2020 and 2022/2023, exceeding allocated amounts or bypassing designated work plans for specific cooperatives.
Among the cooperatives flagged for improper payments were Lambuli Central Pulpery Cooperative Society (UGX 4.70 billion), Jinja Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd (UGX 4.8 billion), Buyaka Cooperative Society (UGX 3.5 billion), Masaaba Cooperative Union (UGX 5 billion), Bumwambu Cooperative Society Ltd (UGX 6 billion), Masaka Cooperative Union (UGX 7 billion), and Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Ltd (UGX 2.75 billion).
The parliamentary committee overseeing the investigation recommended that Ssali face scrutiny from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under Section 79 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015. This provision pertains to the unauthorized authorization of payments, exemplified by the alleged UGX 1.74 billion disbursed to the Okoro Coffee Growers Cooperative Union Limited in Zombo without proper verification procedures.
