MPs’ censure motion against Gen Tumwine flops
Security minister Gen Elly Tumwine. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- A section of MPs started the process of censuring Gen Tumwine for frustrating investigations into torture of Ugandans and also blocking Members of Parliament in the Human Rights Committee from doing their work.
Members of Parliament have withdrawn the censure motion against Gen Elly Tumwine after they failed to garner adequate signatures to propel the motion.
As of last week, only 19 MPs had so far signed on the censure motion against the security minister, and by Wednesday evening 39 MPs had signed.
A section of MPs started the process of censuring Gen Tumwine for frustrating investigations into torture of Ugandans and also blocking Members of Parliament in the Human Rights Committee from doing their work.
The House amended the human rights committee report to include closing all safe houses in the country and initiating a censure motion against Gen Tumwine.
However, the MPs who had started the censure process have withdrawn the matter due to a lack of interest by some MPs.
Mr Mbwatekamwa Gaffa, the Kasambya County MP who authored the censure document in a press conference Wednesday said that they managed to get only 39 signatures and this was not adequate.
He said failure to censure Gen Tumwine only showed the hypocritical nature of some MPs.
“I was the first person to sign as the mover of the censure motion but as we talk, remaining with only two days, only 39 MPs have signed. I know the question would be why it is only 39 MPs who have signed when we have a Parliamentary resolution and by the time it was passed, more than 200 MPs in the House,” he said.
However, Manjia County MP John Baptist Nambeshe disagreed with the withdrawal of the motion saying that MPs who appended their signatures were not consulted over this move of withdrawal.
He said the mover of the motion should have waited for the end of the 10 days to be able to withdraw the bill.
The Parliament’s rule of procedure says at least one-third of the MPs should append their signatures on the list if the motion is to proceed.
After 10 working days, if less than one-third of all the MPs have appended their signatures on the list, the Notice of Censure shall cease. This now means the MPs have until Thursday next week to solicit for signatures.
