We can’t suspend Namuganza probe - MP Obote

PARLIAMENT: The parliamentary committee on Rules, Discipline and privileges has declined to halt hearings into the public rift between lands minister Persis Namuganza and the Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga.

The committee chair Mr Clement Obote-Ongalo (NRM-Kalaki County) told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview on Tuesday that halting the probe before hearing from the speaker would be a breach to the principle of natural justice.

He was responding to concerns by NRM vice chairperson for Eastern region, Capt Mike Mukula, who asked the committee last week to stop the hearings, owing to the fact that it would bring severe embarrassment to the speaker, in case she if found guilty.

“The rule of natural justice is that all sides must be heard; if we cannot meet the Speaker because of her position then we have no business to proceed,” Mr Obote said.
The lawmaker said that the role of the committee is to hear from all concerned parties and report back to Parliament.

He also said that there are many sides in the issue including the traditional institution of Busoga and the utterances made by the minister who is a Member of Parliament with public trust.
“We cannot stop; assuming we agreed with Mukula, we shall still have to explain it in our report to Parliament but in light of other submissions,” he said.
Mr Obote however said that the committee was taking Mr Mukula’s submissions “very serious” although they were yet to convene internally to adopt it.

When he appeared before the committee last week, Mr Mukula, wondered whether the deputy speaker, Mr Jacob Oulanyah or the House itself would be able to judge and push robust recommendations against the Speaker, who is No.3 in the national hierarchy.

“It is against this that I plead with the committee to let the President handle this matter because I am aware, he is doing so as chairperson of the party and president of Uganda who is also the appointing authority,” Mukula said.

He also said that since the President is already handling the matter, then parliament ought to stay away, owing to the principle of separation of powers provided for in the Constitution.
However, Mr Obote said that the committee has no powers to summon the president and the speaker.
He stressed that they would seek her audience to get her side of the bickering.

“This is yet to be done because we are still receiving other submissions, we shall seek her audience when we have listened to all others such that we put all the issues before her at once,” Mr Obote said.

He said that on whether or not to meet the president, the issue would be decided depending on what will be contained in the preliminary report.
Mr Mukula had also asked the committee to relinquish the matter to the National Resistance Movement and its disciplinary mechanisms, citing instances where the NRM has weighed in on its bigwigs who turn against one another.

He cited the bickering between former Prime Minister and NRM Secretary General John Patrick Amama Mbabazi and Maj Gen (rtd) Kahinda Otaffire; Amama Mbabazi and former Vice President Gilbert Bukenya among others.

He also said that these such differences are also happening in other political parties and are not brought to the House.
He pointed out at the rifts within Uganda People Congress’ Jimmy Akena and Olara Otunnu; FDC’s Mugisha Muntu and Dr Kizza Besigye among others.
These he said, were internal contradictions resolved within the parties.

The Committee, acting on the instructions of the Deputy Speaker (Mr Oulanyah) has been conducting hearings into the public rift between Ms Kadaga and Namuganza as members of parliament, whose rift had become a matter of concern to the integrity of Parliament.

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