The State Minister for Housing, Ms Persis Namuganza, has appended her signature on the motion seeking to censure the four Commissioners of Parliament, sounding a warning to those that are calling MPs that the President has directed NRM MPs not to sign.
Namuganza says there are formal ways of the President’s communication and no body should use the name of the President to intimidate MPs not to sign the Censure motion.
“The President usually writes or invites us NRM Parliamentary caucus if is against something. But this is corruption at Parliament, the people are tired of corruption and it’s making our party ugly outside there,” Namuganza said.
Ms Namuganza, who was in January 2023 censured for “attacking the person of the Speaker and Parliament without due regard to the Rules of Procedure” over media comments, has asked other Cabinet ministers to also stand strong and append their signatures on the motion as a commitment to fighting corruption.
“Let’s stand as a team in fighting corruption whether you are a minister or not,” she said. “Personally I was censored when there are no grounds at all but here there grounds are there.”
The censure motion moved by Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo is seeking the removal of Esther Afoyochan (Zombo District Woman – NRM), Prossy Akampulira (Rubanda District Woman – NRM), Solomon Silwany (Bukooli Central – NRM) and Mathias Mpuuga (Nyendo-Mukungwe – NUP) from their positions as members of the Parliamentary Commission.
The four MPs are accused of allocating amongst themselves between Shs400 million and Shs500 million service awards, and a monthly salary of Shs23 million, on top of their emoluments as MPs, without seeking Parliament’s approval.
Minister Namuganza said during her controversial censure, Silwany mobilised parliament and told people that he was very clean while Mpuuga who was then Leader of the Opposition, emphasised integrity.
“I urge Honourable Ssekikubo to publish the names of the MPs who have appended their signatures so that the public know those supporting corruption in this institution,” she said.
“Those commissioners have been behaving like demigods, they should stop hiding under President Museveni because he does not support corruption.”
A “censure” is a formal, majority vote in the House on a resolution disapproving a Member’s conduct, generally with the additional requirement that the Member stand at the “well” of the House chamber to receive a verbal rebuke and reading of the resolution by the Speaker.
In the case of Mpuuga, Silwany, Afoyochan and Akampulira, the censure would have them lose their seats as Backbench Commissioners and becomes a formal indictment of their conduct – abuse of office, breach of the Leadership Code and corruption.
Ssekikubo and co. need at least 177 signatures to get the censure motion passed.
