Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism, and Industry were left in disbelief when officials from the Ministry of Trade confirmed that Shs400 million was spent on moving documents from the Ministry’s office in Kampala to its stores in Entebbe.
The Ministry’s offices, situated at Farmers House in Kampala’s Central Business District, required the transfer of documents to the stores in Entebbe, a mere 50 kilometers away. However, the cost of this seemingly routine task amounted to Shs400 million.
During the committee session, the officials present claimed ignorance about the reasons behind this exorbitant expense and deferred the explanation to Permanent Secretary Geraldine Ssali, who they believed could shed light on the matter.
Ssali did not attend the committee sitting, asserting that she had already provided the necessary information and therefore saw no need to be present.
In addition to the document transfer saga, the committee discovered that the Ministry had spent Shs26 million to deliver laptop computers to its staff members’ homes during the renovation of the Ministry’s headquarters. These computers, originally procured for Shs160 million, were delivered at a significantly inflated cost.
Testimonies from witnesses, including Everest Ahimbisibwe, the Principal Assistant Secretary at the Ministry, and the former head of procurement, revealed allegations of misconduct by the Permanent Secretary. They accused Ssali of cancelling the procurement process for five new vehicles intended for the Ministers and engaging in fraudulent practices to secure a new supplier.
Furthermore, government officials disclosed that even the five vehicles procured by the Permanent Secretary were both outdated and acquired at a higher cost of Shs600 million each, exceeding the approved budget of Shs500 million set by the Finance Treasury.
The committee learnt that in an attempt to circumvent objections from the Head of Procurement regarding the inflated figure, office attendant Tom Opiyo was deceived into signing the documents.
The mismanagement of funds continued with the issue of Shs5 billion intended for the Ministry’s relocation from the dilapidated structure at Farmers House. The committee’s investigation revealed that the Permanent Secretary altered the work plan and diverted the resources, using them solely for the renovation of the existing structure. The actual cost of the renovation was supposed to be Shs3.1 billion, significantly lower than the inflated figure of Shs6.8 billion.
As a result of unsatisfactory explanations provided by the Ministry engineer and lawyer defending the Permanent Secretary, legislators put them under oath to ensure truthful statements.
Additionally, the committee issued fresh summons against Geraldine Ssali, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, following revelations by Evarist Ahimbisibwe, the former Principal Administrative Secretary, that he was transferred to another Ministry for refusing to sign the contract with inflated prices. Instead, his subordinate was coerced into completing the signing process.