Ministry of Trade warns the public against top city impersonators
Drake Nyamugabwa
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperations has issued a warning to the general public against impersonation, and fraudulent acts that have been carried out by people claiming to be staff of the Ministry of conning people, groups of people of their properties among other acts, especially in the department of the registrar of cooperative societies.
The Ministry also distances itself from such people and advises the public to only contact designated offices of the ministry or head offices for any transactions related to their mandate.
In a disclaimer notice released by the ministry and signed by Permanent Secretary Geraldine Ssali, on 6th December 2022, stated that some scrupulous people have been posing as staff or affiliates of the Ministry and have gone ahead to contact members of SACCOs in Kampala plus attending their Annual General Meetings.
“They have been holding out as staff of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies especially in the department of KCCA and beyond. They have gone ahead and hoodwinked unsuspecting members of cooperative societies, especially SACCOs in and around Kampala and presided over their Annual General Meetings purportedly on behalf of the registrar of cooperatives” it reads in part.
According to the statement, the Ministry has urged the public who intend to form cooperatives especially in and around Kampala or those who have cooperative-related issues to access services from a designated staff of the ministry in their locations or the ministry of trade directly.
The Department of Cooperatives is responsible for promoting an enabling environment for the development of sustainable and vibrant member-based cooperatives. The Department provides services designed towards facilitating the formation, organization and operation of cooperative societies, and through the Cooperative Societies Act 1991, advises on and monitors the emergence and practice of good governance and member empowerment.
The Department specifically deals with registration, coordination and issuing guidance on the registration of Cooperative Societies.
