Caesar Abangirah
Jolly Kaguhangire’s contract as Executive Director at Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has been terminated.
Kaguhangire, who was interdicted in June pending findings of investigations into alleged misuse of office, gross insubordination, incompetence, concealment, misinformation, lying to the board, defiance and misconduct of interdiction is supposed to leave office immediately. She has been UIA Executive Director since April 2017.
The probe into Kaguhangire’s conduct started in June after two petitions were sent to the Inspector General of Government seeking an investigation into the ED’s conduct.
The investigating committee comprised six members.
The contract termination was announced in an October 26 letter signed by Emely Kugonza, the UIA board chairman.
“The board [UIA] has resolved in a special meeting of October 26, 2018 … to terminate your employment contract as executive director with immediate effect,” the letter reads in part.
Mr Basil Ajer, will continue in acting executive director capacity. Kaguhangire had previously refused to hand over office to Mr Ajer in July, which forced police and the UIA board to break into the said office.
“All the above (allegations) amount to gross misconduct in line with section 922 of the Human Resource manual. I therefore inform you that your employment as Uganda Investment Authority executive director is hereby terminated with immediate effect,” the letter said.
Kaguhangire, who famously ran to court seeking to have the probe into her conduct blocked, has been fighting for her job since June. In September she withdrew the case, giving UIA board the leeway and time to complete investigations.
The departing ED was never short of admirers, including Evelyn Anite, the minister of state for Investment.
In May, Anite wrote to Kugonza in support of Kaguhangire, claiming that many member of the board were corrupt, besides overstepping its mandate by meddling into the affairs of management.
“The directors and the board connive to obtain bribes from investors, sell industrial park land and extort investors in exchange for facilitating their meetings with ministers and President Museveni,” she wrote.
She claims that at one point, directors at UIA paid some board members Shs50 million to stay in their positions.
She also stated that the board engaged in operational activities of interviewing lower level staff like cleaners, tea girls and drivers.
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