The Anti-Corruption Court on Monday issued a criminal summons for Geraldine Ssali, the former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, after she failed to appear for a scheduled hearing in a major fraud case involving the alleged diversion of UGX 3.8 billion meant for war-loss compensation.
The case centres on accusations that Ssali and several co-accused — including three serving Members of Parliament — orchestrated a scheme to improperly channel reparations funds intended for the Buyaka Growers Co-operative Society, a group displaced during the 1980s civil conflict. Prosecutors argue that between the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 financial years, Ssali unlawfully added the cooperative to an eligibility list outside the approved supplementary budget framework.
Investigators say Ssali approved payments to Kirya and Company Advocates, a law firm owned by co-accused Julius Taitankoko Kirya, under the guise of settling legitimate claims. According to the prosecution, these actions breached the 2017 Treasury Instructions and created a network of irregular payments that inflicted significant financial loss on the government. “This was not an administrative error but a calculated effort to divert public funds,” said Senior State Attorney Raymond Mugisa, who requested the summons following Ssali’s unexplained absence.
All other defendants — MPs Michael Mawanda, Ignatius Mudimi Wamakuyu and Paul Akamba; lawyer Kirya; and cooperative official Leonard Kavundira — appeared in court, where their bail was upheld. Ssali’s no-show added a new wrinkle to the already complicated proceedings, which stalled in October after Judge Jane Kajuga Akuo ruled that Akamba’s pending human rights petition must first be determined by the Constitutional Court. Akamba alleges that his arrest and prosecution violated constitutional safeguards.
The hearing was adjourned to February 5, 2026, following a request by Akamba’s lawyer, Sydney Odong, who cited the political climate ahead of the 2026 general elections as a factor warranting a post-election date.
