The Minister of Trade, Industries, and Cooperatives, Francis Mwebesa, has disclosed his intention to suspend David Livingstone Ebiru, the Executive Director of Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), following allegations of misappropriation of funds and misconduct.
This development came after Minister Mwebesa expressed astonishment at Ebiru’s continued presence in office, despite ordering the board to suspend him back in June 2023.
During a hearing before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE), convened to address the Auditor General’s queries for the financial year ending June 2022, Ebiru confessed to bribing the Chairperson and Board of UNBS with Shs100 million to avoid his impending suspension. The Inspectorate of Government (IG) and the Minister of Trade had both recommended the suspension of the ED.
Committee Chairperson, Joel Ssenyonyi, raised concerns about the alleged mismanagement of funds and corruption within UNBS and questioned the Minister’s role in supervising the entity.
Ssenyonyi further questioned Minister Mwebesa regarding a letter he had written to Ebiru, suspending him for six months on June 26, 2023, and then rescinding that decision in another letter to the Chairperson of the UNBS Board on June 27, 2023.
Board Chairperson, Charles Musekuura, informed the committee that Ebiru had rejected the initial suspension.
Expressing his shock at finding Ebiru still in office, Minister Mwebesa assured the committee that he would promptly draft a letter to suspend the Executive Director.
“I am going back to write a letter telling him that I thought you had gone on leave following the earlier suspension and yet you are here and have not gone on leave. I will tell him to go on leave,” Minister Mwebesa stated.
Ssenyonyi directed the Minister to copy the letter to the committee, ensuring its inclusion in their report.