Breaking! Go Home & Plant Cassava! Gender Minister Amongi Fires Byarugaba, Appoints New NSSF MD
The Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Betty Amongi has appointed Mr. Patrick Ayota as the new National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Managing Director for a period of 5 years effective today 18th August 2023 replacing troubled Richard Byarugaba.
“We are pleased to inform te NSSF members , stake holders and the public that the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Hon Betty Amongi has appointed Mr Patrick M Ayota the Managing Director of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for a period of five years effective 18th August 2023”- NSSF said in a statement.
”Mr. Ayota has been the Fund’s Ag Managing Director for the last 8 months during which he ensured stability of the Fund during a challenging period. He has also served as Deputy Managing Director since December 2017 and Chief Financial Officer since July 2011. The Board is confident that he is the right person to steer the Fund forward at such a critical time following changes in legislation that oblige the Fund to play a leading role in expanding social security coverage to all Ugandans” the statement added.
This follows counter accusations that happened earlier this year at NSSF after the then fund boss Byarugaba clocked 60 years and ran out of contract to manage the NSSF fund which Amongi declined to renew accusing him of mismanagement and corruption.
Byarugaba on the other hand accused the Minister Amongi of requesting for UGX6bn which she claimed it was meant to do mobilization to increase on the fund’s membership which later prompted the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) and parliament to summon the fund’s top management, the board members, and the minister Betty Amongi to give clarifications.
The committee led by Mwiine Mpaka would later pin the minister in their report that she had ill motives while requesting for the UGX6bn and even urged her to resign from her position.
The IGG also ordered Byarugaba and Stevens Mwanje to refund nearly Shs3.6bn to the fund which they irregulary paid to the fund’s workers who voluntarily resigned from their positions after early retirement.
“Mr. Richard Byarugaba and Mr. Stevens Mwanje should refund…in equal installments for the loss occasioned to the fund when they authorized irregular payments to staff who exited under the voluntary early retirement program with in a period of six months”-the report reads in part.
