Kasaija on the spot over top job offer to parliamentary seat rival

Finance minister Matia Kasaija was last night on the defensive following accusations that he irregularly dangled a top government job to secure the exit of his opponent in a parliamentary contest.

Mr Paul Kyalimpa, who lost the ruling National Resistance Movement party primaries and was running as an Independent, withdrew from the race on Monday, leaving Mr Kasaija unopposed.

The Electoral Commission subsequently declared the minister winner for Buyanja County in Kibaale District.

“My People of Buyanja, you have made a bold statement, you have spoken. Thank you so much for believing in me. I am ready to continue serving you diligently as your Member of Parliament for Buyanja County (2021-2026),” tweeted Mr Kasaija, who has represented the constituency since 2006.

However, leaked documents show that Mr Kyalimpa quit the parliamentary contest after the Public Service Commission interviewed him for the job of Deputy Director General of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), a post that had not been advertised, and for which Mr Kyalimpa said he had not applied.

Mr Kasaija is the political supervisor of UIA, the government agency superintending investments in the country, and under Section 7 of the Investment Code Act, 2019, appoints the authority’s director general on recommendation of its board.

The Act does not provide for the position of Deputy Director General, but UIA Board chairman Emely Kugonza, said the post exists in the authority’s strategic plan and organogram.

Both minister Kasaija and Mr Kugonza admitted that the job was not advertised as required under public service recruitments rules because the designation of Mr Kyalimpa as the second-in-command at UIA was an executive decision by President Museveni.

In a November 24 letter to Mr Kasaija, the President wrote: “I refer to our conversation in Gulu (City) last Wednesday (November 18) regarding the above-mentioned person (Kyalimpa). This is to authorise you to go ahead with the recruitment process and have the candidate appointed, if found suitable.”

He added: “The terms of service should be in accordance with the institution’s guidelines.

A day after the President’s letter, the UIA board, according to a November 27 letter, requested the Public Service Commission (PSC) to “...assist and carry out a selection exercise in order to assess [Kyalimpa’s] suitability for appointment to the above-mentioned post”.

In the same letter, the commission invited Mr Kyalimpa to present himself for oral interview, which was conducted on World Aids Day (December 1).

Mr Kugonza, however, said he wrote to the PSC after Mr Kasaija informed him of the designation of Mr Kyalimpa to the top UIA job.

The drafting of Mr Kyalimpa into the top UIA job lasted only six working days from the date of the President’s letter, and this efficiency is itself a record that contrasts with the previous regular public service recruitment timelines.

It is also unclear why the PSC directly interviewed Mr Kyalimpa instead of the evaluation being conducted by UIA board as is provided in the Investment Code Act, 2019.

Criticism

Ms Cissy Kagaba, the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda, yesterday accused the minister of conflict of interest and abuse of office, which she alleged facilitates “corruption and patronage”.

“There is definitely a conflict of interest because of the way he has got the job…We are in the politics of patronage and abuse of office, and it is absurd,” she said.

In a rejoinder last night, Mr Kasaija said the accusations were groundless since he did not appoint Mr Kyalimpa, and politically stood to benefit nothing since he would have defeated his former rival in the race for Buyanja constituency.

“I see no conflict of interest. I did not solicit the job for Kyalimpa and I did not appoint him. I was just a courier,” Mr Kasaija said, adding that the offer of the job was initiated by President Museveni.

We were unable to independently verify this claim. Mr Kasaija said the President only called him to the Gulu meeting for “consultations”.

“The President took an initiative to place Kyalimpa somewhere in government service and asked to find out where there could be a room,” the  minister said.

 “People who are saying that I was frightened [by Kyalimpa’s candidature] don’t know the politics of Kibaale. I wasn’t worried at all,” he added.

Mr Kasaija said he had defeated Mr Kyalimpa in the NRM primaries by more than 10,000 votes and he was certain to floor him again in the parliamentary elections due on January 14, 2021.

Whereas Mr Kyalimpa yesterday told this newspaper that the President had “redeployed (him) to another assignment that is greater than a Member of Parliament,” Mr Kugonza said the job had not been confirmed yet.

“There is no appointment of Mr Kyalimpa Paul. If you read the letter of the President, he wrote to the Minister of Finance, who is the appointing authority of the board in UIA, indicating that this person is designated and to have him subjected to the due process. If he is found suitable, then be appointed. That does not mean appointment,” Mr Kugonza said.

Mr Kugonza is unopposed to represent Buyanja East Constituency, which was carved out of Buyanja County in Kibaale District, in what critics say was a gerrymandering to save Mr Kasaija.

WHO IS MR PAUL KYALIMPA?

According to his resume seen by Daily Monitor, Mr Paul Kyalimpa is a private and public sector development expert, with over 20 years of experience.  He has worked with various government ministries, including Ministry of Trade and Cooperatives, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and development agencies including the United States Agency for International Development.

He graduated from Makerere University in 2002 with a Bachelors of Business Administration, acquired a Master of Finance and Control degree from Amity University in India and due to receive a doctorate degree in Leadership & Financial Sustainability from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. He also boasts of having aided the victory of the NRM in the 2016 general election where he worked on the NRM Presidential National Taskforce Winning Team.

In a telephone interview, Mr Kyalimpa said his appointment has been hijacked and discredited by opposition politicians and denied that he was bought out of the Buyanja constituency race. 

“Why would I respond to something that is not correct? The issue is hijacked by the opposition, but the point is [that I have been] called for another assignment that is greater than a constituency MP,” he said.

He added: “If the president has seen that you are able to do this work very well according to your profile, and you are interested in service delivery and not just being called Honourable, you have opportunity to contribute to socio-economic development, create jobs and improve industrialisation.”

The name Kyalimpa literally translates to “what you will give me”, and the holder has declared his readiness to take up the job as has been offered.

“It is not a do-or-die that I want to be an MP. People go there as a job, and I was going there to deliver services to the people,” he added.

Mr Kyalimpa believes the new position offers him more opportunities to serve the whole country better than if he were a lawmaker.

‘‘I have been given a national responsibility which is far heavier than the role of a Member of Parliament and almost a responsibility of a minister because I will be coordinating programmes of both foreign and domestic investments in the country like developing business and industrial parks,’ he said.

Mr Kyalimpa confirmed that he never applied for the job and only  did the interview following an invitation by the Public Service Commission, although he is yet to receive an appointment letter.

Kasaija, UIA board chairman speak out

“The President took an initiative to place Kyalimpa somewhere in government service and asked to find out where there could be a room. People who are saying that I was frightened [by Kyalimpa’s candidature] don’t know the politics of Kibaale. I wasn’t worried at all,” Matia Kasaija, Finance minister.

“There is no appointment of Mr Paul Kyalimpa. If you read the letter of the President, he wrote to the Minister of Finance, who is the appointing authority of the board in UIA, indicating that this person is designated and to have him subjected to the due process. If he is found suitable, then be appointed. That does not mean appointment,” Emely Kugonza, UIA Board chairman.

Voters react

“We are okay with it. Let Mr Kyalimpa go and take on the new job and this shows a great sense of cooperation among our leaders...and we support it. We had, however, started doubting because we had no evidence that he had been appointed,’’ Karoli Lwanga, Buyanja County.

“We love all these two people and the race was quite dividing them among their supporters. We want the two to stop pulling ropes and start working together for the betterment of the country and our region,’’ Tadeo Irumba.

‘‘Kyalimpa came in 2016 and before going for NRM primaries, he had withdrawn in favour of minister Kasaija. He came and contested for the same seat this year but he lost to Kasaija during the primaries. Why has he chosen to withdraw at this critical time?” Jacklyne Bikanga from Nyamarunda Sub-county.

Additional reporting by Alex Tumuhimbise