A motion to impeach the four commissioners of Parliament, accused of distributing Shs1.7 billion in taxpayers’ money as ‘service awards’, has been initiated by at least five Members of Parliament.
The targeted commissioners include Mathias Mpuuga (MP Nyendo – Mukungwe), Esther Afoyochan (Zombo Woman MP), Solomon Silwanyi (Bukooli Central MP), and Prossy Mbabazi Akampurira (Rubanda Woman MP).
The proponents of the motion, including Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga), Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West), Sarah Opendi (Tororo Woman MP), Patrick Nsamba Oshabe (Kassanda North), and Yorke Alioni Odria (Aringa South), assert that despite ample opportunities given, the commissioners have failed to resign, prompting the move for a censure motion.
Mr. Ssewungu expressed frustration, stating, “On several occasions, I was asking the speaker to give us an in-house talk about commissioners and she was promising but doing nothing, because these became gluttons, enjoying food and money for nothing.”
“We want these commissioners out of the office and then we shall follow the money and we have all facts. We shall use all the possible ways to get these people out of office,” he added.
Mr. Odria emphasized the need to combat corruption, stating, “We are not going to promote acts of corruption in this Parliament of Uganda. We have advised the four commissioners to resign [but] up to today they have refused to resign. We are now taking action.”
The legislators argue that the impeachment would help restore public trust in Parliament.
“We are cognizant the removal of those aforementioned commission members will restore the dignity of Parliament and also maintain and strengthen the public trust and confidence in the integrity of the institution of Parliament,” said Mr. Ssekikubo.
Adding that; “this is the time to say no to the diversion of public funds for personal aggrandizement and I call upon all Members of Parliament to support this motion but commissioners can also choose to resign before this motion comes for them.”
The four commissioners garnered public attention earlier this year when reports surfaced alleging that they distributed Shs1.7 billion as a service award. According to these reports, Mr. Mpuuga, the former Leader of Opposition, received Shs500 million, while the other three commissioners affiliated with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) each received Shs400 million.
Ms. Opendi, supporting the censure motion, urged the public to ensure that their representatives back this issue of public concern. She highlighted the misuse of taxpayers’ money, stating, “It will be wrong for me to sit and keep quiet when a whole health center is allocated to one individual.”
In response, Mr. Nsamba criticized the commissioners, accusing them of hypocrisy and emphasizing the need for collective action among MPs.Earlier this year, the president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, announced the party’s decision to recall Mr. Mpuuga from his position as a Commissioner.
However, Speaker Anita Among rejected this, citing legal constraints.Mr. Kyagulanyi subsequently removed Mr. Mpuuga as his deputy President for the central region, leading to tensions within the opposition party. Ms. Among reportedly chaired the meeting where the commissioners approved the service award.
Legislator Mr. Oguzu Le called for scrutiny before signing the motion, suggesting that if the awards were not approved by Parliament, there would be a strong case against the commissioners. As of press time, all five movers had signed the motion to censure the commissioners.