David Livingstone Ebiru has been permanently removed from his position as the Executive Director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) after a thorough investigation by the UNBC Board and a parliamentary probe that revealed serious misconduct.
According to Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives Minister Francis Mwebesa, the decision to terminate Ebiru’s contract was based on the damning findings of the National Standards Council and his own admissions during the Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) proceedings.
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The investigations exposed several acts of financial misconduct on his part.
One of the major findings was that Ebiru had withdrawn and utilized 3.2 million dollars (11.5 billion shillings) from the PVoC (Pre-export Verification of Conformity) collection funds for personal use, which was supposed to be remitted to the Consolidated Fund.
This violated the Public Finance Management Act 2015. He was also found to have spent 285 million shillings from funds deposited by traders and businesses as security, contrary to official guidelines.
Additionally, Ebiru admitted to making cash withdrawals without proper authorization from the Council and the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, which breached the UNBS Finance and Administration Manual and Treasury Instructions 2017.
Another offense was his failure to take disciplinary action against five staff members who caused a financial loss of 9.282 billion shillings to the standards body.
These staff members had tampered with inspection reports and application dates, misleading the system.
Furthermore, Ebiru denied any involvement in an investigation by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) for misappropriation of funds meant for the Fuel Marking Project, despite evidence of a plea bargain involving him and others to refund the misappropriated funds.
Considering the gravity of these findings and Ebiru’s own admissions, Minister Mwebesa confirmed that the Council unanimously recommended his dismissal as Executive Director of UNBS.
His actions not only violated the law and established procedures but also tarnished the reputation of the Council members.
In light of these circumstances, Minister Mwebesa informed Ebiru of his immediate dismissal from the position of Executive Director of UNBS, citing the relevant sections of the UNBS Amendment Act 2013 as the basis for the decision.
It should be noted that Ebiru had assumed the position of Executive Director in May 2021, succeeding Dr. Ben Manyindo, who retired.
Earlier, following the parliamentary probe and his own admission of bribing Council members to protect his job, Ebiru had been suspended for six months pending further investigations.
During his suspension, Daniel Richard Makayi Nangalama took over as the acting Executive Director of UNBS.
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