By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Bank of Uganda has requested the High Court in Kampala to dustbin a case filled by journalist Mukose Arnold challenging the appointment of Dr Twinemanzi Tumubweine as the Executive Director in charge of supervision for the Central Bank.
For starters, in the month of February 2018, Bank of Uganda Governor Prof. Emmanuel Tumusime Mutebile fired Director in charge of supervision Justine Bagyenda and replaced her with Dr.Tumubweine Twinemanzi.
This didn’t go well with a concerned taxpayer and Rights activist journalist Arnold Anthony Mukose who swiftly dragged Bank of Uganda to court challenging the ‘deadly’ appointment, noting that it didn’t follow the right procedure as required by law something he said would not only lead to loss of taxpayers money but also the collapse of Bank of Uganda.
“Before the recruitment of the third respondent (Twinemanzi), there was no advertisement for the job in atleast two local newspapers and one weekly newspaper, the Bank of Uganda website or other media of communication. There was no internal or external advertisement for the job,” Mukose said, arguing that a central Bank of a whole country appointed a staff dubiously.
However, in its response filed by Agnes Mugisha, the deputy Director Human Resources, BoU says it sought an opinion from the Attorney General adding that such a decision cannot be a matter subject to judicial preview.
“I am also aware that the second respondent (BoU) took into account the third respondent’s ( Twinemanzi) qualifications, experience and performance before appointing him as Executive Director for supervision,” the affidavit says in part.
“Since 2018 when he was appointed as Executive Director for supervision, the third respondent’s performance had been continuously appraised and he had performed duties in that capacity.”
However, Mukose says, “There was no request by the Executive Director, Administration to the Governor to recruit an Executive Director in charge of supervision through headhunting.”
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Not only the above, but disappointed Mukose asserted, “The third respondent has a pass degree of Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Applied Economics from Makerere University, 1996 and is not qualified to be recruited to work in Bank of Uganda. He has never worked in any commercial bank and therefore has no working experience relevant to commercial banking and is accordingly incapable of effectively working as Executive Director, supervision.”
Mukose went ahead and castigated Inspectorate of Government, which turned a deaf ear when such an illegality was reported to them but instead chose to maintain silence.
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“The Inspectorate of Government accordingly directed the Board of Directors of Bank of Uganda not to ratify any actions or decisions taken by the Governor in relation to the impugned appointments and transfers until such a time as the investigations by the inspectorate have been conducted or this office directs otherwise,” Mukose says.
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As a result therefore, Mukose wants Court to declare that the continued employment of Twinemanzi Tumubweine as Executive Director, supervision for Bank of Uganda in spite the intervention of the office of the Inspectorate General of Government and in spite of the report of the Presidential Tripartite Committee is illegal and continues to be tainted with irrationality, procedural impropriety and unfairness.
