NSSF Finance Officer Replaces Geraldine Ssali as New Deputy M.D

Deputy Managing Director at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Geraldine Ssali Busulwa has finally been replaced after the Board recommended to the Finance Minister not to renew her contract in September.

SoftPower has learnt that the Minister of Finance who is the appointing authority of the leadership at the Fund appointed Patrick Ayota who has been Chief Finance Officer as the new Deputy Managing Director.

The development comes days after Ssali wrote a lengthy letter to Minister Kasaija narrating her ordeal at the hands of the NSSF Board.

She further requested the Minister to preside over an unbiased assessment of her performance, claiming that the current Managing Director Richard Byarugaba and the Board victimized her based on her person rather than her performance record.

Saali stated in the letter October 16 letger that she didn’t get an opportunity to be heard and explain the alleged grounds for refusal to renew her contract.

“In arriving at a final report about my performance, the Managing Director would have sat down with me and carried out my performance appraisal in line with Fund guidelines on performance,” she said but added that this wasn’t done.

She accused the Board of sidelining other members who had been against the decision to drop her.

During her leadership as Acting Managing Director between 2014 and 2015, Ssali claims to have grown the Fund in value to hit a Shs 5 trillion mark in total value, despite the tough economic situation.

When reports came out regarding the non-renewal of Ssali’s contract, NSSF stated that legally, the Board reserved the discretion to determine whether or not to renew the three appointees (Managing Director, Deputy Managing Director and the Corporation Secretary).

“The Board has a mandate to make performance-based recommendations on the renewal and or non-renewal of contracts of the three statutory appointees,” Carol Arimi, the Head marketing and Communications at the Fund had told this website.

“Further to that, the decision to renew or not renew a contract of a statutory appointee rests with the Minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development,” she added.

In March 2016 Ssali who has served as Deputy M.D since 2011 was suspended by the Fund’s Board citing insubordination and failure to follow company rules.

She then filed a suit seeking a temporary injunction to block the decision by the Board Chairperson Patrick Kaberenge sending her on forced leave.

Court later ruled in her favor saying the manner in which the Board had suspended Ssali was suspicious and raised questions on the Fund’s integrity, and she was reinstated.