Namuganza’s ministerial job hangs in the balance

After months of wrangling, lawmakers convene this morning at 10am to vote on a contentious motion that seeks to censure Ms Persis Namuganza, the state minister for Lands.

The minister is accused of contempt of Parliament, a charge that borders on misconduct and making statements believed to dent the integrity of the House and Speaker Anita Among.

Since Speaker Among is conflicted on account of her disagreements with the minister, her deputy Thomas Tayebwa, who represents Ruhinda North Constituency, will steer the House. Without delving into the details, Mr Chris Obore, the director communications at Parliament, last evening confirmed today’s plenary sitting.

After the President chose not to interfere with the Namuganza censure motion, Mr Tayebwa appointed a seven-member committee chaired by the Mbarara City South legislator, Mr Mwine Mpaka (NRM) to probe the matter afresh.

The other members of the committee include Mr Charles Bakkabulindi, Mr Wilfred Niwagaba, Ms Betty Ethel Naluyima, Ms Nancy Acora, Mr Geoffrey Ekanya and Mr Bumali Mpindi.

Although most of the members feared to discuss the committee recommendations before it’s tabled, some MPs, who requested not to be named, told Daily Monitor that some accusations against Ms Namuganza were utterances she allegedly made in the 10th Parliament and cannot, therefore, be used as a basis for her censure in 11th Parliament. The committee classified all the utterances attributed to the minister and made specific recommendations for failure to defend herself.

Earlier, the House Rules, Discipline and Privileges Committee had considered the same matter and found the minister capable. They recommended her removal from office and the House adopted the report. The speaker would notify the president in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.  The minister was supposed to appear before the Mpaka committee to defend herself from the accusation but she didn’t. However, the petitioners led by Mr John Amos Okot, the Agago North MP, appeared and tabled evidence against her.

According to Ms Namuganza, MPs did not have a right to hear the case of her alleged indiscipline as it was being challenged before the Court of Appeal.

“I petitioned the Speaker of Parliament as the person who made the ruling in respect of the sub judice claim and I am still awaiting a response from her,” Ms Namuganza told the rules committee before she stormed out on September 14, 2022.

The minister would later protest what she called witch-hunt, contempt of court, and blamed Ms Among for peddling what she called personal vendetta against her.

Deputy Speaker Tayebwa has since trashed allegations peddled by sections of the public that Minister Namuganza was particularly being “persecuted” and instead stated that this was being done premising on the provisions of the 1995 Constitution and the Rules of Procedure.

“There is nothing personal…In the handling of this matter, we are being commanded by the laws of our land, it is not being commanded by someone talking to me or someone whispering. We are implementing the law, the way it is. And I will follow the law, the way it is,” Mr Tayebwa said.

Sources close to the clerk’s office, however, told Monitor last evening, that today’s final voting on the Namuganza censure motion will not be in secret. Those in favour or against the minister’s removal from office will be individually called and asked to vote openly.  

In the event the House censures the minister today or any other day, it will be up to the President, who is the appointing authority, to replace her. Ms Namuganza will also retain her rightful seat in Parliament as the elected Bukono MP.

“This report was misleading Members of Parliament, debating things which they don’t know about and finally passing resolutions which they actually don’t know. On this basis, first of all, I belong to the Executive and I know that they will have to forward the resolutions to the Executive for confirmation and I’m sure the Executive is sober and it will not act the way they acted,” Minister Namuganza said.