The board of directors of the Ugandan Investment Authority has this morning asked Finance Minister Matia Kasaija to help them enforce the UIA ED’s interdiction.
Yesterday, after the board asked the ED to step down, she instead wrote back saying the board had no powers to interdict her. Jolly added that the letter from the board should be disregarded and that she would continue to perform her responsibilities.
The ED was asked to vacate her office for three months to allow the board conduct a thorough investigation into her conduct, which was already being questioned at the Ministry of Finance, on top of a series of whistle blower compilations filed to the IGG, and her own staff who cited intimidation.
Mrs Kaguhangire however, refused to leave office. She wrote to the board chairperson Emely Kugonza, claiming that the board meeting that kicked her out was “irregular, void and illegal.”
The interdicted ED claimed the board meeting lacked quorum; that some members of the board in the meeting had personal interests in her matters and thus shouldn’t have attended, and also the grounds for her interdiction were “unfounded and totally baseless.”
“I am still in office as the UIA Executive Director carrying out my duties and the mandate of the Authority,” Jolly wrote in her letter.
“Any other decision made by any other officer on behalf of the authority is null and void.”
As confusion reigned, the Board decided to ask for the Finance Minister’s intervention to end the impasse.
The board chair Emely Kugonza also responded to allegations leveled against their actions by Mrs. Kaguhangire.
First, contrary to the embattled ED’s assertions, Kugonza noted that the meeting did have quorum.
“Only 8 board members of the board are required for the board meeting to be quorate,” she said.
“A total of ten board members attended and Mrs. Kaguhangire attended in person and signed as Member 8 on the register for the day.”
Kugonza added that the decision to interdict the ED was taken in her absence as she was requested to step out since she was conflicted.
“She was later called in and handed over the interdiction letter. She requested for the grounds of interdiction which were thoroughly explained to her.”
On Kaguhangire’s claims that some of the members had interest in her matter, Kugonza told the minister, that no member had any personal interest in the matter.
“The matters that were under discussion were integrity (corruption allegations), insubordination, abuse of office, telling lies, etc.”
Kugonza thus described the decision by Kaguhangire to defy the board decision as “insubordination of the highest order.”
“In the circumstances, as a civil and law abiding citizen, she should have gone to court to challenge the process but not to take the law in her hands.”
She added that Kaguhangire’s decision to stick around had “generated a lot of confusion at the Authority and is badly affecting our image as the preferred investment destination country.”
“We humbly seek the intervention of your good office,” the board chair pleaded.
By press, Minister Matia Kasaija had not responded to the UIA board’s letter.