NSSF To Be Audited

By Yunusu AbbeyA SPECIAL audit will soon be conducted on the National Social Security Fund(NSSF) to establish its financial status, the minister in-charge said yesterday.Zoe Bakoko Bakoru, gender, the labour and social development minister, said her ministry was liaising with the Auditor General over the issue.Bakoko told The New Vision on phone that she was due to write to private audit firms inviting them to send in their profiles in order to identity one which would do the job.“I can assure the public that it will be an integrity and transparent audit. We want to safeguard NSSF contributors’ funds,” Bakoko said.Bakoko said the successful audit firm would be appointed with the Auditor General’s approval.She ruled out the possibility of prosecuting the suspended NSSF managing director, Dr. Yoram Barongo and the Corporation secretary, John Kakooza.“The audit report would determine the action to take. But certainly we are not prosecuting any body,” she said. There had been speculation that the suspensions were linked to the Udyam House purchase which NSSF bought at sh9.7b in early 2000.Recently, Eddie Nsamba-Gayiiya, the Chief Government Valuer, was suspended for allegedly over-valuing Udyam House.Ends