Richard Byarugaba speaks at the meeting.
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Board of Directors will this Thursday start investigations against the Fund’s former Managing Director, Richard Byarugaba, on allegations of abuse of office.
According to NSSF Board Chairman Peter Kimbowa, they are following President Museveni’s directive as raised by Gender minister to investigate Byarugaba.
He said from the investigations, they will take the next step on appointing a new manager or reappointing Byarugaba.
“In due course, NSSF members and the public will be informed of the outcome of the due diligence exercise, and subsequent appointment of a managing director,” he said.
This comes after Gender Minister Amongi, who has refused to reappoint Byarugaba to the position despite recommendation by the NSSF Board, said she had received dozens of petitions from individual workers and groups of workers who were concerned about Byarugaba’s management style and opposed his reappointment.
Amongi said that the investigations must be concluded in two months.
Byarugaba’s contract expired at the end of November just after the expiry of his former Deputy Patrick Ayota’s which has since been renewed.
On the basis of the NSDF endorsement and a presidential directive for the same, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja asked Amongi to proceed with the appointment “as recommended by the Board to avoid any managerial gaps which can put the workers’ funds at risk”.
However, the minister has since protested the move and instead called for an investigation into the former MD’s conduct while at the fund, accusing him of abuse of office and mismanagement of the entity’s investments, among other issues.
However, Usher Wilson Owere, the chairman of the National Organisation of Trade Unions, one of the constituent members of the NSSF Board, says instead, that the Minister should be probed over her undue interventions in the daily operations of the Fund.
He says she called the organisations to write petitions alleging corruption and other issues against Byarugaba, with the motive of failing his reappointment, especially for allegedly refusing to grant her request for 6 billion Shillings from the NSSF for her official activities
