The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) has intensified its investigation into allegations of corruption within the Ministry of Trade, focusing particularly on the misuse of funds designated for cooperative societies.
This development comes in the wake of recent arrests and charges leveled against several Members of Parliament and a lawyer accused of diverting funds intended for Buyaka Cooperatives Society in Bulambuli district.
According to sources familiar with the matter, SHACU has extended its scrutiny to include technical officials within the Ministry of Trade, including accountants, auditors, and the undersecretary, as well as Permanent Secretary Geraldine Ssali.
The officials are suspected of involvement in the mismanagement of approximately 146 billion Ugandan shillings allocated for cooperative compensation.
“The focus has shifted to the technical officials within the ministry, where the alleged mismanagement of funds originated,” a source within SHACU revealed.
“Geraldine Ssali, alongside others, is being investigated to ascertain if they have a role in the diversion of these substantial public funds.”
“If she is found to have been part of the cartel, she will be charged and sent to Luzira like the others,” a source added.
The investigation follows a series of arrests and charges laid against MPs and a lawyer allegedly implicated in similar corruption schemes.
The accused individuals, including Igara East MP Michael Mawanda, Elgon County MP Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi, and Busiki County MP Paul Akamba, among others, face charges related to conspiring to defraud the government of over 3.4 billion shillings meant for compensation to Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society Limited.
The Anti-corruption Court in Kampala also remanded Leonard Kavundira, the Principal Cooperative Officer from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives to Luzira prison for allegedly conspiring with three legislators and a lawyer to divert more than sh3.4billion.
Kavundira last Monday appeared before the Court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe who sat in for the trial Chief Magistrate who was indisposed.
Asiimwe then read to Kavundira one charge of conspiracy to defraud government of 3.4 billion shillings that was meant to compensate Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society Limited after the war.
President Yoweri Museveni last week declared a full scale war on corrupt public servants.
Efforts to reach Geraldine Ssali for comment were unsuccessful, as her known contact details were unresponsive at the time of inquiry.
Meanwhile, sources within the Ministry of Trade acknowledge the existence of what they describe as a “racket” of officials involved in the mismanagement of cooperative funds, signaling the depth of the corruption allegations.
The unfolding investigation underscores the government’s resolve to combat corruption within Uganda’s cooperative sectors, emphasizing the imperative of accountability and transparency in the administration of public resources. As the inquiry progresses, stakeholders await further developments to determine the extent of the alleged malfeasance and the potential repercussions for those implicated.