New Era for Trade Ministry: Museveni Appoints Lynette Bagonza as Permanent Secretary
By The Public Lens
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appointed Lynette Bagonza as the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, marking a new chapter for the ministry.
Bagonza, formerly an undersecretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, replaces the embattled former PS, Geraldine Ssali, who was recently sent to Luzira prison over fraud and corruption-related charges.
Ssali was charged alongside other ministry officials and legislators in the Anti-corruption Court over their alleged involvement in the mismanagement of Cooperative cash in excess of Shs3.4 Billion.
Her woes began last year when the Parliament Committee on Trade pinned her for her involvement in the mismanagement of cooperative funds.
She was also accused of creating a parallel verification committee contrary to the one created by the Cabinet to examine cooperatives that lost property during the 1986 war.
The 210-page October 2023 report by the Mwine Mpaka-led committee in parliament, whose findings have since left three legislators Michael Mawanda (Igara East), Paul Akamba (Busiki County), and Ignatius Wamakuyu (Elgon County) all behind bars, did not leave the embattled Ssali who since its release was swimming in series of scandals until her arrest on July 28.
Despite the existence of the Inter-Ministerial Committee that had been constituted by the Cabinet to verify war loss claims by the cooperatives, the PS, according to the Mwine Mpaka-led committee, also created a parallel verification committee.
It is through this parallel committee that Ssali allegedly influenced the compensation process.
The several cooperatives which made compensation claims and allegedly got paid billions of taxpayers’ money erroneously include; Lambuli Central Peppery Cooperative Society (Shs4.7b), Jinja Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd (Shs 4.8b), Buyaka Cooperative Society (Shs3.5b), Masaaba Cooperative Union (Shs5b), Bumwambu Cooperative Society Ltd (Shs6.1b), Masaka Cooperative Union (Shs7b), and Bwavumpologoma Growers cooperative Union (Shs2.75b).
Of all, the issues Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Limited was a source of contention, which prompted the committee to summon the PS who did not shy away during the September 23, 2023 meeting.
In defense, Ssali told the committee in September last year that the said cooperative was headed by her grandparents, so she knew all the details about it, and that it was indeed affected.
After her arrest, the president appointed Alex Kakoza, the former Education PS, to temporarily hold that position.
The appointment of Bagonza comes after a performance appraisal of all Permanent Secretaries by the Head of Public Service, Lucy Nakyobe, which informed President Museveni’s decision.
Other notable appointments include the retention of ICT Ministry PS, Dr. Aminah Zawedde, and the appointment of Jane Egau Akol as the new PS for the Ministry of Public Service.
The trade ministry has been plagued by scandals, including the mismanagement of cooperative funds, with several cooperatives allegedly receiving billions of taxpayers’ money erroneously.
The appointment of Bagonza is seen as a move to restore integrity and transparency to the ministry.
