Uganda’s head of the public service has asked President Museveni to appoint a courageous permanent secretary who can effect restructuring in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Speaking at the official funeral service for the late Keith Muhakanizi in Kololo on Saturday, Ms Lucy Nakyobe, who is also the secretary to the cabinet, said if the office is not restructured, scandals will continue.
Ms Nakyobe said before Muhakanizi flew to Milan, Italy, for specialised treatment, he had anticipated a scandal about Karamoja iron sheets and warned the ministers that the iron sheets would cause them problems but they ignored him. Muhakanizi said the ministers should take personal responsibility for whatever would happen.
“How did the iron sheets saga come out when he was the permanent secretary? He had seen the circus coming. He had been to my office a few months before it happened. One afternoon he had a top management meeting in his office and he came accusing me of not inducting ministers,” she said.
Ms Nakyobe said Muhakanizi told her that he had been with top management because the ministers were everywhere; they were in stores, procurement, accounts, and human resources.
She said Muhakanizi had gone to report himself to her and that should she hear anything, she should know that he disagreed with the ministers and he warned them.
“And indeed after a month and a half, this problem came and when it came he called me and told me didn’t I predict so? We took it lightly and thought it would come to pass I called him in Milan and told him this thing is making the government look ugly,” she said.
She said he informed her that he had warned the ministers and they should take responsibility because he has already written his statement and if he returned, he would propose the way forward but in the meantime, he called for restructuring the Office of the Prime Minister.
