Kiryowa, Ggoobi names appear in plot to arrest accountant general Semakula

An investigation into the recent arrest of accountant general Lawrence Semakula and eight other Finance ministry staff has drawn in the names of Kiryowa Kiwanuka and Ramathan Gggobi as being at the centre of a conspiracy to mudsling and punish Semakula. 

Semakula has been portrayed as the centre of a recent fraud scandal through which about Shs 60bn was stolen from Bank of Uganda (BOU) by wiring it to unknown and unworthy recipients in Japan and UK.

BOU has confirmed that two fraudulent transactions diverted money meant for the World Bank and the African Development Fund, whereby $6.134 million was redirected to Road Way Company in Japan, and $8.569 million sent to NJS International, London, UK.

Sources in the ministry of Finance have told The Observer that when this fraud took place in September 2024, Semakula was on leave, with his deputy Jennifer Muhulizi in the position of acting accountant general, having been approved by permanent secretary and secretary to Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi. They wondered why a public impression has been created that Semakula was the chief architect of the fraud.

SEMAKULA SAW IT COMING

However, Semakula had seen this as coming. With a number of incidents that had shown bad relations between Semakula and Ggoobi, and with the former set to officially retire at the end of next year 2026 and a vacant position of the auditor general where John Muwanga was retiring, Semakula had opted to apply to become the auditor general.

Sources and some documents seen indicate that given Semakula’s professionalism and blameless track record, he had received the blessing of Finance minister Matia Kasaija who wrote a recommendation for him. However, although Ggoobi kept telling Semakula that he was supporting the latter’s application, he never sent in a written recommendation.

It is further said that two countries were also vying to give Semakula a high-profile job upon his official retirement in 2026. Some observers have already shown wonder how fast, following his arrest along with eight others, permanent secretary Ggoobi replaced him with Godfrey Semugooma, a commissioner, as the acting accountant general.

Some sources said Semugooma, who had a nasty exit in 2021 as the accountant at the ministry of Education and Sports where minister Janet Museveni personally called the accountant general – who heads all accountants and procurement officers in the whole country – to have him back.

It is said that when Semugooma returned to Finance, he was deployed to an insignificant office, but PS Gggoobi used to deploy him on various missions. The Observer has been told a number of incidents and is in possession of numerous documents that put a network of high-profile persons in government that conspired against Semakula.

We have landed on names like Kiryowa Kiwanuka, Anita Among, director general of police’s CID AIGP Tom Magambo and undersecretary at ministry of Finance Edward Sengonzi that were syndicated in dealing a bad blow at Semakula at whatever time and cost.

Sengonzi himself had earlier been kicked out of office of accountant at State House with a sour taste in the mouth, and was just retained in the civil service because of the president’s lenience and high regard for the old-time political capital of Sengonzi’s extended family.

We will give you details of this story after deep study of these many documents. Suffice it to say right now that Anita Among rushed to the president and using political gymnastics convinced him to appoint Edward Akol, said to be related to Among, as the new auditor general. Akol was sworn in on June 4, 2024.

Yet it had become an unwritten tradition that a retiring accountant general would become an auditor general, just as was the case with John Muwanga. This tradition sought to tap the advantages of wide and relevant experience that an accountant general would automatically bring on board.

The Observer has learnt that while Semakula was arrested and detained with nine others, one of them – Mubarak Nansamba – was mysteriously not arraigned before court and his name was not on the charge sheet. Another intriguing matter sources pointed out is why Bank of Uganda took long to respond to Semakula’s alert and why BOU staff have not featured on the charge sheet and the court case.

The Observer has learnt that there was a ‘command post’ created to effect this mission. It used to sit at Mestil hotel, Kampala, and it is alleged that its bill was cleared by Ggoobi. We promise you a deeper story in our next issue.