Two weeks after she was sworn in as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Monica Musenero had not received instruments of office from her predecessor Elioda Tumwesigye.
She had been locked out, on several occasions Elioda snubbed the handover until he was compelled by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The same applied to the Ministry Permanent Secretary David Obong who even had been retired by the President from active civil service.
Both Obong and Elioda attempted to defy the appointing authority.
As the pair realized their efforts were hitting a dead end, Elioda relinquished on July 23 while his associate gave up on August 3 after several days of demanding a special letter from the President.
At the time, this website has established the duo was buying time in refusing to hand over offices so that Ministry of Finance could disburse funds to the Ministry of Science for the first quarter of the financial year that began last July.
“Remember they were still signatories of the Ministries accounts,” said a highly placed official.
He added, “as usual Elioda and Obong wanted to distribute the money to their scientists who were managing the 17 projects which fell under the Ministry,” said a source.
But to distribute the money to these projects, Elioda and Obong would have acted illegally since they had no mandate as substantive minister and PS respectively.
It should be noted that while appointing Dr Musenero as Minister of Science, Museveni flatly said the ministry would be reclaimed by State House and the Minister was directly answerable to the President.
Therefore, the Ministry had been dissolved and needed fresh structures.
“It would therefore be unlawful for Finance to transfer operational funds to a non-existing Ministry without clear structures,” said a source.
Musenero steps in
Exercising her powers as a duly appointed Minister, Musenero on July 14, penned a letter to Finance Minister Matia Kasaija requesting him to halt transfer and expenditure of fund for the Ministry of Science.
“On 9th June 2021 when His Excellency the President of Uganda announced a new cabinet, he made some changes to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation,” reads Musenero’s letter to Kasaija.
She added that Ministry had been placed under the President’s office with State House comptroller as the accounting officer.
“I am working with His Excellency to propose a suitable structure for STI under the new structure,” she further informed.
“The purpose of this letter, therefore is to request you to halt transfer and or expenditure of funds for the Ministry of Science until the new structure is approved,” she concluded.
Fireworks
Whereas Kasaija acted as per the letter of new Minister, the old regime was left rattled, perplexed, furious and hellbent on accessing the funds since the actors had already prepared and lined up the beneficiaries (scientists) of this money.
“Wounded for not receiving the money despite sanctioning budget allocations in the Ministry, the top officials then instigated a well-choreographed campaign against Musenero through Parliament since they knew that the new minister would sooner appear before the budget committee after Ministry of Finance had presented a cabinet paper seeking authorization to move funds to State House,” a separate source told this website.
As the matter was referred to Budget Committee by Parliament, Musenero’s woes would begin on August 26.
That is where she found hostility.
This website has further learned that her detractors had mobilized a huge number of MPs majority from opposition to attack and even label Musenero as a “thief.”
They alleged that she was mistreating the Ministry staff and forcefully harassed those perceived as allies of Elioda and Obong.
Whereas the MPs on September 8 resolved to move the Ministry’s funds to President’s Office, Museveni rejected saying it must be under the control of State House.
“Musenero’s enemies think that the Ministry if moved to State House she will constantly interact with the President which they are highly against. They want to create a huge gap between her and the President,” said another source.
Yona Musinguzi
Determined, the aggrieved officials would therefore use Ntungamo Municipality Yona Musinguzi (an ally) to attack the Minister on the floor of Parliament.
On November 9, Mr Musinguzi alleged on the Hansard that Musenero had mismanaged close to shs 41 billion extended to her to develop a local Covid-19 vaccine.
Presenting documents he described as evidence, Yona would request for security claiming his life was at risk.
What this website has ascertained is that Mr Musinguzi is his submission on the Parliamentary floor duped the MPs into believing that he once served as an assistant commissioner in the Ministry of Science yet he was sitting “just on committee of science in the Ministry.”
“I challenge him to provide evidence of him serving as an assistant commissioner,” an official who asked not to be named said.
This official said that after losing election in 2016, Musinguzi begged Hon Elioda for a job and was given that small position to earn a living.
“Him and Elioda have worked together for a long time. So if there is someone they could use to discredit Musenero, Musinguzi was the right choice,” a source added.
What remains shocking is that whereas heaps of allegations are leveled against Musenero records obtained by this website which will be published subsequently don’t point anywhere to she received the money.