Kampala- The Inspector General of Government, Justice Irene Mulyagonja, has ordered the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) board to immediately fire three senior managers for having been irregularly appointed.
The IGG also directed the board to immediately re-advertise all the positions “created as a result of restructuring the organisation” in order to ensure transparency and fairness. The board is chaired by Mr Francis Butagira.
Justice Mulyagonja’s directives are contained in an April report of inquiry into the alleged abuse of office, irregular job recruitment, nepotism, alteration of approved structures and embezzlement of funds for civil registry under the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) and UNICEF.
The URSB is a government body mandated to register companies, intellectual property rights and business names. It took over functions of the Registrar General’s office in the Ministry of Justice.
The IGG acted upon information from a whistleblower that URSB had been staffed with relatives, friends and confidants of the Registrar General, Mr Bemanya Twebaze.
The whistleblower also claimed Mr Twebaze had been awarding foreign trips for trainings and assignments to incompetent relatives and friends.
The whistleblower also named senior staff managers, Mr Darius Ruta appointed manager for liquidation, Ms Mercy Kyomugasho (manager for registration of intellectual property rights), Ms Eva Mugerwa, (director civil of registration), Mr Arthur Kwesiga, (manager for ICT), Mr Vincent Katusi, (manager for compliance) and Ms Faridah Katerega (accountant) as having been recruited without the requisite qualifications.
He also alleged that Mr Samson Baganda, (manager for compliance) and Ms Juliet Nassuna (director of Intellectual Property rights registration) have pass degrees but were appointed, contrary to public standing orders.
The whistleblower further alleged that Mr Twebaze was appointed following a brief period as acting URSB Registrar General but was confirmed yet he had not applied for the job.
When contacted, Mr Twebaze acknowledged seeing the IGG report but said taking action was beyond his mandate and referred the matter to the board chairperson.
URSB board chairperson Francis Butagira told Sunday Monitor that he had received a copy of the report and a Human Resource Committee had been set up to look into the IGG’s findings.
IGG findings
“The appointment of Mercy Kyomugasho Kentaro, Arthur Kwesiga and Alex Aganya, was irregular and unfair and their appointments be rescinded,” the IGG states in the report released in April.
However, Mr Darius Ruta, Ms Eva Mugerwa, Mr Vincent Katusi, Ms Faridah Katerega, Mr Samson Baganda and Ms Juliet Nassuna, were cleared of the allegations that their appointments were irregular.
On Mr Bemanya Twebaze, the URSB Registrar General, the report notes that while he had the required qualifications and experience for the position of Registrar General, he did not apply for the position as alleged.
However, the IGG cleared him of accusations of nepotism and influencing foreign trips. On recruiting relatives, the IGG noted that there was no evidence that Mr Twebaze is related to some staff although he comes from the same district of Kanungu with some staff members.The IGG also cleared the board of the allegation that it changed the approved URSB structure irregularly.
“The powers to change the structure of URSB are vested in the board,” IGG said in the report.