By Ivan Ssali
The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development has declined the appointment of Dr. Bernard Ogwel as the accounting officer of the National Council of Sports (NCS).
On July 30, 2024, the Chairman of NCS, Ambrose Tashobya, wrote to Finance, recommending Ogwel as the Council’s accounting officer for the Financial Year 2024–25.
However, Finance PS Ramathan Ggoobi has declined.
Ggoobi cites Section 11(2)(g) of the PFMA 2015 as amended, which states that “appoint or designate accounting officers in accordance with this Act, except that the Secretary to the Treasury shall not appoint or designate a person an accounting officer where, according to the report of an Internal Auditor General or the Auditor-General, that person has not accounted for the public resources or assets of the vote for a financial year.”
“Based on the recommendations from the Auditor General and Internal Auditor General for FY 2024/25, the current Accounting Officer, Dr. Benard Ogwel, is ineligible to continue executing this role,” said Ggoobi in his July 25, 2024 letter.
In consideration of the above legal provisions of the PFMA, 2015 (as amended), Ggoobi wrote, “This is to request that you recommend a suitable officer for the appointment of Accounting Officer for Vote 166 for FY 2024/25.”
In 2023, the IGG ordered Ogwel to declare source of his wealth.
Around about the same time, Ogwel was accused by the Netball Federation for asking the Federation to account for more than what they exactly received from NCS.
