FUE, NOTU defy finance
Feb 27, 2005
THE employers and workers umbrella organisations have rejected finance ministry directive that they nominate new members to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) board.
By John Eremu
THE employers and workers umbrella organisations have rejected finance ministry directive that they nominate new members to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) board.
The Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) and the National Organisations of Trade Unions (NOTU) have returned the old members who served under the disbanded board and challenged finance to justify why they should be dropped.
The NSSF board headed by Geoffrey Onegi Obel was dissolved last September amidst allegations of corruption and financial impropriety, particularly in the botched $255m Nsimbe Estates deal.
In a January 25, 2005 letter to FUE and NOTU, Mwesigwa Rukutana, the finance state minister, asked each organisation to nominate four members from whom the finance minister would appoint two to the NSSF board.
But in a February 2, 2005 reply to Rukutana, FUE said an executive council meeting had resolved to retain the federation’s chairman, Aloysius Ssemmanda, and Rosemary Ssenabulya, the executive director, as their representatives on the NSSF board.
The letter signed by the federation’s vice-chairperson, Martin Kasekende, also questioned the minister’s directive in view of an agreement with President Yoweri Museveni that representation on the NSSF board shall continue under a tripartite arrangement with all the parties independently choosing their representatives.
Kasekende said the council still had confidence in the two officers.
to continue representing them on the board of he NSSF,†the federation said in the letter copied to Museveni, Prime Minster Prof. Apollo Nsibambi and the Bank of Uganda Governor.
Bank of Uganda currently oversees the operations of NSSF whose asset value is sh388bn. The Central Bank is supposed to vet all the NSSF board members.
In a meeting at City Annex Hotel Tuesday, NOTU governing council also rejected the minister’s directive to drop their chairman general, David Nkojjo and secretary general, Lyelmoi Ongaba from the NSSF board. Workers MPs, Charles Bakabulindi, Joram Pajobo, Martin Wandera and Tespoista Ssentongo attended the charged meeting.
Pajobo said the two officials had ably represented the workers on the board and there was no reason to remove them prematurely. “They made no mistake and if the minister found their representatives on the NSSF incompetent, that is their problem. We still have confidence in ours,†Pajobo said.
Ends
THE employers and workers umbrella organisations have rejected finance ministry directive that they nominate new members to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) board.
The Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) and the National Organisations of Trade Unions (NOTU) have returned the old members who served under the disbanded board and challenged finance to justify why they should be dropped.
The NSSF board headed by Geoffrey Onegi Obel was dissolved last September amidst allegations of corruption and financial impropriety, particularly in the botched $255m Nsimbe Estates deal.
In a January 25, 2005 letter to FUE and NOTU, Mwesigwa Rukutana, the finance state minister, asked each organisation to nominate four members from whom the finance minister would appoint two to the NSSF board.
But in a February 2, 2005 reply to Rukutana, FUE said an executive council meeting had resolved to retain the federation’s chairman, Aloysius Ssemmanda, and Rosemary Ssenabulya, the executive director, as their representatives on the NSSF board.
The letter signed by the federation’s vice-chairperson, Martin Kasekende, also questioned the minister’s directive in view of an agreement with President Yoweri Museveni that representation on the NSSF board shall continue under a tripartite arrangement with all the parties independently choosing their representatives.
Kasekende said the council still had confidence in the two officers.
to continue representing them on the board of he NSSF,†the federation said in the letter copied to Museveni, Prime Minster Prof. Apollo Nsibambi and the Bank of Uganda Governor.
Bank of Uganda currently oversees the operations of NSSF whose asset value is sh388bn. The Central Bank is supposed to vet all the NSSF board members.
In a meeting at City Annex Hotel Tuesday, NOTU governing council also rejected the minister’s directive to drop their chairman general, David Nkojjo and secretary general, Lyelmoi Ongaba from the NSSF board. Workers MPs, Charles Bakabulindi, Joram Pajobo, Martin Wandera and Tespoista Ssentongo attended the charged meeting.
Pajobo said the two officials had ably represented the workers on the board and there was no reason to remove them prematurely. “They made no mistake and if the minister found their representatives on the NSSF incompetent, that is their problem. We still have confidence in ours,†Pajobo said.
Ends