KAMPALA – The National Organisation for Trade Unions – NOTU has tasked the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development to name the new top management of the National Social Security Fund – NSSF as the contacts of the Managing Director and his Deputy nears expiry.
Mr. Richard Byarugaba and his deputy Mr. Patrick Ayota were contracted by the then appointing authority Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija on October 30, 2017 for a five-year tenure.
Now, speaking to the press on Tuesday morning, Mr. Usher Wilson Owere, the chairman general of NOTU says that with only days left to the expiry date of these agreements, the government should come out and either reappoint the old management or announce a new one.
“NSSF has a leadership vacuum. The top leadership’s contract has expired. I see the minister is taking long to appoint and this can bring a serious problem because the Fund cannot remain without leadership.”
“My appeal to the minister of gender, labor and social development is that they should appoint the Managing Director and the Deputy without any delays,” he said.
According to him, the Fund is very sensitive with progressing number of projects including the Lubowa, Temangalo and Kyanja housing projects which cannot afford to go any day without top management.
“The team which is there has done very well. If they want to reappoint them, let them do but we don’t want to see a vacuum because when you leave workers’ Fund which is now Shs17 trillion when you don’t have MD or DMD, you only have board at the apex then you create a vacuum which can be covered by anything.”
About the current managers
RICHARD BYARUGABA
He was first appointed to the position in 2010 and re-appointed in October 2014. He has a wealth of experience spanning over a period of 31 years in managing large financial organisations of international repute including commercial banks.
Previously served as Managing Director, Afrimax Uganda and had previously held similar position at Global Trust Bank and Nile Bank. In 2007 he also served as the Chief Operations Officer at Barclays Bank Uganda Ltd.
Richard started his career in 1983 with Standard Chartered Bank and rose through the ranks to the position of Executive Director for Finance in 1992. In 1994, he was transferred to London as Regional Manager for Finance in charge of Africa region. In London, he made his mark through the implementation of a multi-million accounting software for the bank’s Africa operations.
He is a qualified Accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. He also holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot Watt University UK, a management diploma from the Henley Management College of UK and a Bachelor of Science, Statistics & Economics from Makerere University, Kampala.
He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vodafone Uganda Ltd, and Kulika Uganda, a charitable trust. He also serves on the Board of Uganda Clays and Uganda Stock Exchange Governing Council. He is the former President of the East and Central Social Security Association and Chairman Nakasero Hospital Limited and Hospice Africa Uganda.
A former President of the Uganda Institute of Bankers, Richard has also served on several board positions at Standard Chartered Bank, Nile Bank, Palliative Care Association of Uganda and the Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services.
PATRICK AYOTA
Patrick joined NSSF in July 2011 and is currently the Deputy Managing Director. He is also in charge of the Fund’s Strategy Function.
He was previously the Chief Financial Officer, a position he held for 6 years until November 2017. Patrick has been at the forefront of various projects at the Fund which he steered successfully, including set up of the strategy function, the rollout of the balance performance scorecard, and was named runner up at the 2017 National CFO Awards organized by ACCA.
Prior to joining the Fund, he was the Finance Director for Barclays Bank (Uganda). He has extensive experience in accounting and finance management that has been attained in various roles in Uganda and USA.
Patrick is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He holds an MBA from the University of South Carolina (USA) and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Liberty University, Virginia (USA).
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