The Minister of Gender Labour and Social Development Betty Amongi has defended her controversial UGX6bn addition to the NSSF budget insisting that the law gives her powers to propose amendments to the NSSF budget.
Amongi made the rebuttal while appearing before the select committee of Parliament probbing allegations of abuse of office and mismanagement in the NSSF.
This comes a day after Members of the NSSF board unanimously disowned the minister who made an additional UGX6bn without going through regular channels of presenting a proposal through the finance committee of the NSSF board.
Amongi said that she proposed strategic initiatives to cater for the growth of NSSF following the amendment of NSSF act.
The minister added that in one of meetings held at Serena Hotel Kigo on November 25, 2022, the NSSF board and managment considered the UGX6 billion budget and details of the relevant activities to implement proposed strategic initiatives to grow the fund.
However this revelation by Amongi is contrary to what the NSSF board led by Dr. Peter Kimbowa had told the select committee chaired by Mbarara Municipality MP Mwine Mpaka currently investigating the NSSF saga.
While appearing before the committee on wednesday Kimbowa denied the board having discussed the UGX6Bn budget and activities for purposes of implementing the proposed initiatives to do with compliancy by Employers and expanding the NSSF coverage among other items.
Minister Amongi further revealed that she rejected the UGX400 Billion shillings budget proposal for strategic land purchase in Nakigalala Kajjansi.
Justifying her rejection of Nakigalala land purchase budget, Amongi said she asked the NSSF managment to provide due dilegence, the market value for this property, among other necessary requirements for this investment which the managment team failed to produce.
Meanwhile it was later learnt according to the chief government valuer the land in Nakigalala was valued at 246 billion shillings.
