KAMPALA – President Museveni has okayed the return to office of Ms. Jolly Kaguhangire as the Executive Director of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), PML Daily has learnt.
In November 2018, UIA board chaired by Mr Emely Kugonza sacked Ms Kaguhangire on allegations of corruption, insubordination and incompetence. However, in May this year, the Inspector General of Government cleared her of wrongdoing.
And now it has emerged that after the IGG report, Ms. Kaguhangire recently sought an audience with President Museveni where she claimed that her acrimonious exit last year was engineered by mafias at UIA. Sources intimated to this website that she told the President that some senior UIA staff and board members fought her when she began exposing their corrupt tendencies.
A delegation of members of the Born Again faith, where Ms. Kaguhangire belongs, is also said to have met the President and convinced him that she is innocent.
Mr. Museveni is then said to have sought the opinion of the IGG on the matter after which he ordered Finance minister Matia Kasaija to reinstate Ms Kaguhangire.
When contacted over the matter on Wednesday morning, Ms Kaguhangire declined to offer details, only telling this website that “we shall update you soon. Let’s wait and see”.
Mr. Emmy Kugonza, the UIA board chairperson, was not immediately available for a comment as he said he was held up in meetings.
However, Ms Kaguhangire’s return is bound to be met by hurdles after new UIA board members vowed to fight her.
In April, Investment minister inaugurated a new UIA board chaired by Mr Kugonza. The board members are Mr. Fred Opolot, Mr Morrison Rwakakamba, Mr Joshua Mutambi, Mr Godfrey Byamukama Kerere, Ms Ombombasa Naima and Ms Getrude Kutesa Lutaaya.
The membership of UIA board was reduced from 13 to seven in line with the Investment Code in order to ensure efficiency and cut costs.
UIA is currently working on appointing a new executive director.
In November 2018, UIA board chaired by Mr Emely Kugonza terminated Ms Kaguhangire’s contract with immediate effect. The board’s decision was reached during a special sitting of October 26. Mr. Kugonza said the decision was based on findings of an independent investigation that was conducted by a six-member committee into circumstances surrounding allegations against the former executive director.
The board indicted Ms Kaguhangire on all the five grounds and resolved that these amount to gross misconduct in line with Section 9.2.2 of UIA Human Resource Policy.
However, last month, the IGG cleared the former UIA executive director of gross insubordination, incompetence, concealment, misinformation and lying to the board, defiance, and misconduct during interdiction.
Other allegations Ms Kaguhangire was cleared of including illegal recruitment of staff, paying off online media news sites to fabricate stories against some staff and receiving an Shs400b bribe from investors.
Accusations. She was also accused of diverting funds from UIA for her travels and sponsoring her husband’s travel to Russia using the authority’s resources. But Ms. Mariam Wangadya, in her May 7 report found no evidence resources.
The former executive director ran to court in 2018 an attempt to block investigations into the allegations of corruption and abuse of office that were brought against her, but she later withdrew the case.
