The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Mukono, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Principal Assistant Town Clerk for Mukono Central division, Ismael Mulambuzi Ssemyalo has been interdicted for allegedly mismanaging revenue.
Since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, Mukono like other municipalities has been complaining about difficulties in raising local revenue as well as funding the planned activities such as collecting garbage, constructing and maintaining roads using local revenue.
According to a letter written by Godfrey Kisekka, the Municipal Town Clerk, Ssemyalo failed to supervise division staff, proper collection of local revenue, diverted and misused funds.
“As a town clerk, your leadership and management style has set a bad example to the staff you lead, and it’s clearly contrary to the Local Government Act. Accordingly therefore, in order to enable further investigations of issues covered and those that are not yet audited, you are hereby notified that you are interdicted from office with immediate effect.” The letter reads in part.
The internal audit report conducted in October last year indicates that Ssemyalo failed to account for over 1 Billion Shillings of local revenue collected in the financial year 2020/2021. It also indicates that he failed to receipt the collected revenue.
For instance, the internal audit report also indicates that in the period of July to August 2021, Ssemyalo obtained shillings 30 Million Shillings from the Kame valley market tenderer.
“Also without legal permission, the division clerk waived payment of revenue from Kame valley market worth shillings 5.9 Million Shillings for the period March to April. …Instead of issuing demand notes, you worked very hard to patch up documents towards waiver of those funds.” The report indicates.
Out of the printed dues, collection receipts of July and August 2021 worth shillings 3 Million Shillings for Kikooza market, Ssemyalo banked only 500,000 Shillings.
Ssemyalo is also accused of accessing and causing missing of his personal file from the district service commission’s archives besides contracting personal friends as tenderers instead of using the Procurement and Disposal Unit. For instance, he hired the services of Saulo Mayambala from Nakabago Mukono to collect loading and offloading fees of June to September 2021, without a memorandum of understanding.
Ssemyalo has declined the allegations. Minsa Kirya Namukose, the Municipal Principal Development Officer has been appointed the Acting Deputy Town Clerk.
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