The five year contract of Richard Barugaba as National Social Security Fund (NSSF) managing director will expire on November 1, 2022.
This implies that the workaholic CEO will have spent 11 years and two months at the helm of NSSF, if his contract is not renewed.
Byarugaba took over NSSF in 2010 and was reappointed in 2014 after a controversial 10-month long search process of a new managing director hit a dead end.
Byarugaba’s return to NSSF in 2014 was influenced by President Yoweri Museveni who argued that since he achieved and in many cases exceeded his performance targets, his contract should be renewed automatically.
The President told Minister of Finance if successful managers are fired instead of being rewarded, it would send the wrong signal to the market that government does not reward good performance.
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija further renewed Byarugaba’s contract on December 1st 2017 for more five years.
But for many reasons, knowledgeable sources at NSSF told this website that Mr Byarugaba is likely to be retained after expiry of his term in November on Museveni’s directive.
And legally, the law favours Byarugaba since the recent amendments to the NSSF Act made the mandatory age cap (60 years) inoperative.
And therefore, sources predict Byarugaba could stay at Workers House for more 10 years.
Museveni warns Amongi
Byarugaba remains in good books with the President because he has overperformed, attracting Museveni’s praises on a number of occasions.
A high-ranking official at State House who wished to remain unnamed so as to speak freely revealed that mid last month, the President invited Gender Minister Betty Omongi to Entebbe.
Museveni was uncomfortable with how Uganda had been trending in the news because of the migrant workers who were stranded in Middle East countries.
“The President sought answers from the Hon Amongi what her ministry was doing to resolve the crisis,” said a source.
President Museveni has never been supportive of labour export, but several government officials who benefit from the scheme have rigorous defended labour externalization.
But the President had also received intelligence brief how the sector at the Ministry had been marred with corruption, from awarding license to labour companies to how job orders are distributed to these companies.
And it is against that backdrop that in 2021 Museveni precisely hinted on the syndicate inside the Ministry while presiding over labour day.
His remarks, according to source ignited changes in the labour department at Ministry of Gender.
This website understands that every after two months there have been changes in that docket.
Back to August meeting.
Source add that Minister Among convinced the President that Ugandan workers stranded in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other countries had travelled on their own and no labour recruitment company had authority on them.
She added that other workers, the Ministry established has been trafficked and there is no much government would do to bring them back to Uganda immediately.
Attentive as always, Museveni used the same opportunity to grill the Minister on allegation that she had unleashed an iron hand on a certain clique of officials she found in the Ministry because of their tribe and period of service.
Museveni told Amongi that he had received damning report on her mode of operation.
“Why are you harassing our people?”….”because you think they are old and have served the ministry for a long time?” Museveni is quoted to have asked the Minister from Nwoya.
As she maneuvered to defend herself, the President also reminded her that she should back off Richard Byarugaba.
“What is your issue with Byarugaba?” he further asked.
According to sources, Museveni told the Minister that the information he gathered indicated that she was against the long stay of Byarugaba at NSSF and since his contract is expiring in 2 months’ time, Amongi was pushing that it is not renewed.
NSSF is supervised by two Ministries; Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Gender and Labour.
That is why the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Gender is always a board member of the fund.
Museveni said Byarugaba is a performer and doing a good job for NRM and the people of Uganda.
Efforts to reach Hon Betty for a comment were unsuccessful and her known phone number was off.