Mr. Godfrey Ssemugooma, a Certified Public Accountant at the Ministry of Finance has assumed the role of Acting Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance, replacing his boss, Mr. Lawrence Semakula who was implicated in the UGX 60 billion stolen cash from Bank of Uganda. 

Ssemugooma has been serving as the Director Financial Management Services under the Accountant General’s Office. An inside source at the Ministry of Finance confirmed the appointment but didn’t divulge details.  

Semakula who has been serving as the Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance was arrested last week alongside eight other officials, most being accountants and IT personnel. 

Ssemugooma has close to three decades of experience in policy issues, financial management and e-government procurement.  

Ssemugooma is also a former member of the Board Directors for the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority, and also sat on the Uganda National Airlines Board where he represented the interests of the Ministry of Finance. However, he was among the board members forced to step aside following Parliament’s inquiry into the Airlines’ operations in 2022. 

He’s also a board member at the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he holds a Master of Accounting from University of South Wales, and an FCCA in Accounting and Finance, and other qualifications from Makerere University. 

The Accountant General’s Office is central to the Ministry of Finance operations and is responsible for initiating, formulating and coordinating the implementation of policies regarding the management of public funds and providing guidance in the interpretation of government policy decisions on the control of public funds.

The Accountant General’s Office essentially handles budget execution and accountability mandates which includes functions such as, procurement,  releases, payments, inspection and support to MDA’s, accountability and financial reporting.

It also acts as an institution of Public Financial Management Systems and Controls and  Management Information Systems to support Public Financial Management.

The Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary, Mr Ramathan Ggoobi told the CEO Magazine that he will issue an official statement regarding the new appointments.