Prime
Murmurs as President sidesteps iron sheets scandal in speech
Left to Right: Vice President Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and the second deputy Prime Minister, Gen Moses Ali, ahead of the presidential address to Parliament on March 16, 2023. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Expectations were high that the President, in his address to the MPs, would possibly publicly condemn his ministers implicated in the saga days after he reportedly directed the police to investigate them with a view to prosecution.
Members of Parliament were yesterday disappointed after President Museveni remained silent on the ongoing Karamoja iron sheet scandal that has since engulfed most Cabinet ministers.
Expectations were high that the President, in his address to the MPs, would possibly publicly condemn his ministers implicated in the saga days after he reportedly directed the police to investigate them with a view to prosecution.
Mr York Alioni Odria, the Aringa North Member of Parliament, led the calls for the President to address the matter as soon as he stepped out of the presidential car.
“We want you to talk about the iron sheets and punish the culprits. We cannot allow this to pass silently,” Mr Alioni shouted at the President.
He kept on reminding the President throughout his address about the matter.
However, when Mr Museveni finished his speech and said he did not want to talk about many issues as his focus was on PDM, MPs yelled in unison “iron sheets.”
The President then asked them to report the matter to him confidentially and he will engage them on it at a later time.
Nevertheless, this did not go well with a number of MPs who said as the head of the state, he should have addressed himself on the saga as well as state his position in regard to the censure of Lands State minister Persis Namuganga.
Iron sheets:Who said what as Museveni grilled ministers
Mr Amos Okot, the Agago North MP who also moved the motion that led to the censure of Ms Namuganza, said the President sent a wrong signal by keeping quiet about the two matters.
“I don’t know whether it was by choice; somebody can say the President does not respect the separation of the different arms of government because Parliament passed a censure on a minister but he has kept quiet,” he said.
“Now Parliament is battling with his Executive members who have diverted iron sheets from Karamoja, at least he would have mentioned something; this means that he doesn’t have the will to fight such vices in the government,” Mr Okot added.
Mr Anthony Akol (Kilak North) said Mr Museveni’s silence on the saga shows that he doesn’t care about fighting corruption.
“You know it is a crisis in his government and he has chosen to keep quiet over the OPM scandal which is very dangerous for the country because the expectation of the people is that they want to see the action he is going to take,” he said.
“... if the President wants the investigations to go on well. I think it was wrong for him to keep quiet. The best he should have done was to inform Ugandans that he is still investigating and he will come out about those issues later other than keeping quiet,” Mr Akol added.
Ms Lillian Paparu Obiale, (Arua District woman) said the silence of the President on the scandal is too loud to ignore.
“We expected him to address Parliament about issues happening in the Executive … but probably he thought it wise not to talk about them now,” she said.
Ms Paparu said despite the President’s silence, Parliament has already set the ball rolling and will take action after the Presidential Affairs committee completes its investigations.
