The composition of the new National Information Technology Authority (Nita) board members and the appointment of its top officials have raised eyebrows in the Information and Communication Technology ministry with some officials citing conflict of interest and favouritism, Sunday Monitor has learnt.

The fight for senior jobs in the new Authority has already claimed its first casualty with Mr Ambrose Ruyooka, a commissioner in the ministry, being dropped from the board.

ICT minister Aggrey Awori told this newspaper that he removed Mr Ruyooka from the Nita board because he is already sitting on the Uganda Institute and Communication Technology (UICU) board. However, it is suspected that Mr Ruyooka was dropped in order to make room for one Dr Williams Ddembe, a former consultant in the ministry.

It is said Dr Ddembe is a business partner of the chairman of Parliament's committee on ICT Nathan Igeme Nabeta. Mr Nabeta's committee exercises a direct oversight function over Awori's ministry thereby rendering the choice of Dr Ddembe open to suspicions of conflict of interest.

But Mr Awori denies suggestions of anything underhand.

"There is no evidence to show that I sacked him (Ruyooka) apart from a letter I wrote to him discontinuing him from Nita. The truth is that Mr Ruyooka was on two boards; but for Dr Ddembe, he has not been appointed and we are going to advertise that job," Mr Awori said in an interview.

Dr Ddembe and Mr Nabeta are business partners in a private ICT firm, Praxis Africa Limited. They reportedly established their interest through NBS Group Limited.

According to documents available at the Registrar of Companies, copies of which Sunday Monitor has obtained, the three signatories to Praxis Africa Limited are Dr Williams Ddembe, Mr Nathan Igeme Nabeta and Mr Richard Basiime Bashenyi.

However, it emerged that after Mr Bashenyi landed a consultancy with the ICT ministry, Mr Nabeta and Dr Ddembe separately formed another company called Praxis Limited without the knowledge of Mr Bashenyi to do business with the ministry. Ministry officials got suspicious of this turn in their relationship with the company when an invoice was delivered to them from Praxis Limited, and not Praxis Africa Limited.

"I got a letter from ICT (ministry) inquiring how I billed them on a different letterhead, but on checking further I found out that Indeed, it was different, I later on discovered that my colleagues had registered a company called Praxis Limited and were soliciting for work using our original company but getting payment on a different account," Mr Basiime said on Tuesday.

Last week Mr Awori defended Mr Nabeta saying: "Nabeta has no influence in appointing Ddembe and Ddembe has not applied yet but he (Bashenyi) did substandard work for the ministry. Let him settle their differences with Nabeta and Ddembe."

Sunday Monitor failed to get a comment from Mr Nabeta as he was reportedly on a working trip outside the country. However, Mr Basiime said; "I have instructed my lawyers to get a court injunction on the activities of Praxis including blocking Shs120 million from the Electoral Commission where they used my company." When contacted for a comment yesterday, Dr Ddembe said Mr Bashenyi was difficult to work with. "I am not a shareholder of that company but that guy is very difficult because he failed to come to court but above all I am not part of Nita group," Dr Ddembe said.