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Pressure mounts on Parliament over cash saga
Left-Right: Lwemiyaga County MP Theodre Sekikubo and Buyaga West county MP Barnabas Tinkasimire addressing the media at Parliament on March 13, 2024. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- The mounting pressure for accountability in Uganda’s Parliament, fueled by allegations of corruption, lavish spending, and abuse of office, has led to calls for a forensic audit and constitutional reforms.
Pressure continues to mount on Parliament’s leaders to account for their actions with calls for a forensic audit of its books getting louder yesterday.
The country’s Legislature is reeling from explosive allegations about entrenched abuse of office, lavish and questionable spending among other potentially corrupt practices purportedly being fueled by its leadership – and now the body faces the prospect of audit queries just a week after the Inspector General of Government (IGG) announced a probe into reports billions of shillings may have been looted from the House.
Until now largely an Opposition and general public-led push for accountability, matters slipped into bipartisan territory yesterday morning as two ruling party MPs asked the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, to recall the House from the current self-imposed break.
Within hours of that call, the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) party told journalists it was “appalled and disappointed” by the revelations. Party officials said what has been exposed describes a betrayal of the constitutional imperative under which Parliament is enjoined to foster good governance through its oversight function.
About the same time ANT was lampooning Parliament, Mr Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga), and Barnabas Tinkasimire (Buyaga West), ruling party MPs known for being independent-minded, had separately echoed calls by Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, to reconvene the House this week.
For close to three weeks, the micro-blogging site, X, has been awash with salacious reports about suspected corruption inside Parliament off the hashtag #UgandaParliamentExhibition.
It all started with the outing of former LoP, Mr Mathias Mpuuga, for accepting a Shs500 million handshake in an unprecedented ‘service award’ which has been condemned by his party as corruption. Mr Mpuuga is under pressure from the National Unity Platform (NUP) to resign his position as a parliamentary commissioner.
Public outrage was stoked when it emerged that the four other parliamentary commissioners representing the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party reportedly received Shs400 million in a similar award.
Yesterday, the Lwemiyaga and Buyaga West MPs suggested the House leadership is trying sweep the scandal under the carpet after the impromptu and indefinite adjournment of plenary sittings shortly after the scandal went public. That adjournment paints a dirty image of leaders running away from accountability and scrutiny, they said at a media briefing held inside Parliament Buildings.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa on March 6 abruptly adjourned plenary sittings sine die (indefinitely). Although the discretion as to how and when to adjourn Parliament rests with the Speaker, the legislators suggested Mr Tayebwa’s timing was suspect in light of the ongoing saga.
Both MPs said the plenary should be recalled to have the corruption allegations debated by the people’s representatives. Additionally, they also called for a forensic audit by the Auditor General, whose findings will then be looked into by the House accountability committees.
“Nobody is coming up to give answers, we are all bundled up [in the allegations]. Should we now go by roll call – not me, not me? Let her (Ms Among) convene Parliament and have the issue debated. We demand the Auditor General conducts a forensic audit into this matter,” Mr Ssekikubo said
“The Speaker, deputy speaker are in disarray and even the commissioners themselves are hiding. We are here loitering in the corridors… we can’t see anybody. We are calling on the speaker, deputy and Clerk to restore Parliament. It is being rundown by those allegations. If indeed there is no graft why doesn’t someone come out and give a statement,” he said.
On Monday, LoP Ssenyonyi had also similarly demanded that the House be reconvened, saying the alarming allegations should be addressed within this week.
“I wrote to the Speaker, asking her to convene a Commission meeting so that we get answers to all these various expenditures, which have not been explained either legally or morally,” he said.
He further indicated that Opposition MPs had asked the Speaker to reconvene the House, to “discuss these matters because this institution is accountable to the people of Uganda”.
It is understood that, in fact, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Adolf Mwesigye, had responded to Mr Ssenyonyi’s call and recalled the House on Tuesday, but this was cancelled after contrary communication came in from Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, who is leader of government business in Parliament.
Ms Nabbanja reportedly wrote a letter indicating that all ministers were sent to their constituencies by the President to monitor government programmes, with NRM legislators also expected to be dispatched for the same exercise which runs up to March 23. As such, it became impossible to resume House business without the front bench in place.
“To receive a communication from the Clerk, on behalf of the Speaker, then again you receive another letter stopping the resumption of Parliament is very unfortunate…,” Mr Tinkasimire said.
As a party, the NRM party which enjoys an unassailable majority in Parliament has remained largely tightlipped about the unravelling situation in the House.
It is only last evening that the Speaker’s office revealed through a post on X that Ms Among has met President Museveni although it did not say if the subject of the scandal was broached.
“This afternoon, the Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among met His Excellency, Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at State House in Entebbe, where the two discussed various topics and explored ways in which the two arms [of government] can work collaboratively to deliver on the set mandate for the good of the people,” the post said.
Adding: “The Speaker expressed gratitude to the President for his continuous guidance in ensuring tranquility…The entire discussion rotated around business in the House”.
Also, Mr Mwesige yesterday appeared unwilling to talk about Ms Nabbanja’s intervention, which was criticised by the two MPs as an illegal interference by the Executive with Parliament’s constitutionally guaranteed independence.
“That is not business of the public. Parliament will be recalled when the Speaker is ready to chair. When we are ready we shall recall it,” he said.
On calls for a forensic audit, he said: “The Auditor General is already auditing the books of Parliament. He is mandated by the Constitution. We are open to an audit. Wait for the audit, don’t speculate”.
An audit is expected to investigate allegations of extravagant spending amounting to billions of shillings on dubious community programs, questionable trips, and suspicions of legislators receiving significant kickbacks. Moreover, there are accusations of irregularities in staff recruitment and the awarding of profitable contracts, among other concerns.
By press time yesterday, Mr Chris Obore, Parliament’s director of Communication and Public Affairs, had not responded to our requests for comment. He has, however, previously described some of the allegations as utter falsehoods, forgeries and exaggerations aimed at tarnishing the image of leaders at Parliament.
But Mr Obore’s recent responses have clearly not placated organisations such as ANT whose leader for national campaigns, Ms Winnie Kiiza, spoke about a commitment to accountability and good governance.
“Our party firmly stands against corruption, mismanagement and policies that compromise the advancement of Ugandans and thus calls for a comprehensive forensic and value-for-money audit on expenditures by Parliament and Executive,” she said at yesterday’s press conference.
Ms Kiiza was LoP in the 10th Parliament, where she also occupied the Kasese District Woman seat. She said ANT appreciates the patriotic Ugandans who have been able to expose Parliament.
“…What bothers us as people is the impunity with which government officers do things,” she said
At the same briefing, ANT’s spokesman and former Western Youth MP, Mr Gerald Karuhanga, referenced Article 79(1) of Uganda’s Constitution which directs Parliament to enact laws for good governance.
“Good governance requires Parliament to enact laws that are aligned with the people’s will and needs… As ANT we are deeply appalled and disappointed by the revelations of severe mismanagement, corruption and abuse of office by the parliamentarians brought to light by citizens on social media through #UgandaParliamentExhibition,” he said.
Mr Karuhanga, who during his time as an MP, chaired the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption - Uganda Chapter, noted the scandal is in itself a reflection of what is happening in the Executive arm of government.
A party led by the largely squeaky clean former army commander, Maj Gen (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, ANT also used the Wednesday media briefing to repeat calls for constitutional review commission.
Ms Kiiza said stopping corruption in Uganda requires a re-writing of certain constitutional provisions.
“While we appreciate the framers of the 1995 Constitution, we do find that it has serious challenges that no longer answer the issues of our time. It was made at a time of no party system, and by then leaders were elected on individual merit. The Constitution of 1995 gave too much power to the President under the assumption that the President will stay there for only ten years and go,” she said.
She observed that Uganda must have an independent Speaker today but the current occupant of the office belongs to a political party which is problematic when it comes to ensuring checks and balances.
“The same Constitution gives too much power to Parliament [which is open to abuse], especially where MPs enjoy the right to determine their own emoluments,” she said.
