Police send PS Ssali assault case file to DPP

Police have completed investigations in a case in which the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Cooperatives, Ms Geraldine Ssali, and the ministry’s senior legal officer, Ms Sandra Karyn Aneno, were involved in a squabble.

Ms Ssali and Ms Aneno were on April 5 reportedly involved in an altercation at the ministry headquarters in Kampala.

The lawyer later filed an assault case at the Kampala Central Police Station and subsequently petitioned the Public Service after Ms Ssali interdicted her following the altercation.

In an interview with Daily Monitor yesterday, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said they have now sent the case file to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for further guidance.

“We recorded the statements from various relevant witnesses and [handed over the file to] the [Resident] State Attorney for perusal and legal advice.”

He added: “We are patiently waiting for the file to be sanctioned but as far as investigation is concerned, we did everything.”

Efforts to get a comment from Ms Ssali and Ms Aneno were futile as they did not answer our calls nor respond to messages.

However, Ms Aneno last week said she is waiting for the police to conclude the investigation and see the way forward.

In the April 5 interdiction letter, Ms Ssali said Ms Aneno exhibited “gross unbecoming behaviour such as using abusive language against me, assaulting, threatening me, throwing items at me and insubordination, which is irregular for a public officer of your calibre.”

“You were in total disregard of the provision of the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2021, Sections F-r Para 1, as laid out in Section F-r, Para 4 and 5 (a), (b), (c), (d) (e), (i), (k) and 7 (a); those actions constitute gross misconduct….You are henceforth interdicted from duty with immediate effect in accordance with Section F-S para 14 of the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2021,” she said.

Shortly after the incident, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr Francis Mwebesa, wrote to the head of Public Service, Ms Lucy Nakyobe, asking her to take action, describing Ms Ssali’s conduct as unprofessional.

“I regret to inform you that due to the unprofessional conduct of the Ministry’s affairs by the Permanent Secretary, Ms Geraldine Ssali, she has created a very toxic working environment which has adversely affected the performance of staff at the Ministry,” Mwebesa said in the April 9 letter.

“Since her assumption of office to date, she has caused forced transfers of several officers out of the Ministry, especially the key positions of the Heads of Planning and Policy, Human Resource, Procurement and Accounts. The unhealthy working environment has caused some officers to apply for early retirement,” he added.