By Sekaggya Seka Moses
Kampala, Uganda – President Yoweri Museveni has dropped Geraldine Ssali as Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives (MTIC) and appointed Alex Kakooza as her replacement, amid corruption charges against her.
An internal memo dated July 25, 2024, from Alfred Oyo Andima, the Under Secretary overseeing finance and administration at MTIC, announced a meeting to introduce Kakooza.
The memo stated, “The Minister (Francis Mwebesa) has instructed me to invite you to a meeting on Friday, July 26, at 10:00 am in the ministry’s boardroom to welcome Alex Kakooza, our new Permanent Secretary. Please ensure timely attendance.”
Ssali, along with three MPs and two others, faces charges of abuse of office, causing financial loss, and conspiring to defraud the government of over 3.6 billion shillings meant for war loss victims in cooperative unions.
The case has been transferred to the High Court due to the addition of money laundering charges.
Kakooza, who previously served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Principal Private Secretary to the Vice-President, is expected to bring new leadership to the ministry amid the corruption scandal.
