Who would you vote worst Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament? And why?

Parliament has continued to attract unfavourable media attention since an online campaign launched in February started to expose financial impropriety and wasteful spending.

Many issues have been raised, and people have been demanding answers. But those who are supposed to give answers have been disturbingly quiet. 

The sound of their silence has convinced many Ugandans that skeletons have managed to leave the closets where they had been hidden and are now walking — in a manner of speaking — around Parliament Avenue and other streets in Kampala.

Among the issues the campaign dubbed #UgandaParliamentExhibition has brought to the fore is the travel allowance Speaker Anita Among is entitled to. It jumped from $990 (Shs3.8m) to $4,000 (Shs15.5m). 

Parliament, which the Constitution says is responsible for the Speaker’s salaries, allowances and gratuities, has not given a proper explanation to taxpayers who pay the Speaker. 

When Parliament’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Chris Obore, appeared recently on NTV’s On the Spot and was asked how much the Speaker gets for travel allowance, he nearly refused to answer this simple question, raising suspicion, of course. (Mr Obore would not hesitate to answer if he was asked whether the Speaker’s home district is Bukedea.)

After pressure was piled on him, he said the Speaker gets $990. Yet documentary evidence that was shared online and came from official sources points to $4,000.

Another major issue of concern is billions of shillings from Parliament allegedly going to personal bank accounts of individuals who are close to Ms Among. 

Then there is hiring of people at Parliament when not a single open position has been advertised. At the very beginning of the #UgandaParliamentExhibition, Jimmy Spire Ssentongo revealed that a former Speaker had a relative among candidates who were being interviewed for Parliament Research Officer positions. The interview panel was informed beforehand that the former Speaker, who was then serving, had a candidate.

Now let me be clear. There is nothing in these revelations that conclusively proves the current Speaker is the worst. But Ugandans who are mature and care about how their country is managed can take stock of the past Speakers’ performance. 

Uganda has had 11 Speakers since it gained independence from Britain in October 1962. They include John Bowes Griffin, Narendra M Patel, Edward Rugumayo (who was chairman of the National Consultative Council), Francis K Butagira, Yoweri Museveni (who was chairman of the National Resistance Council), James Wapakhabulo, Francis Ayume, Edward Ssekandi, Rebecca Kadaga, Jacob Oulanyah and Anita Among.

The first two Speakers can be ignored since they were not Ugandan in the real sense. We can also ignore Mr Museveni’s speakership since he was not elected, as the Constitution stipulates.

That leaves us with eight individuals. Three of them -- Ayume, Oulanyah and Wapakhabulo -- have since died, but this does not matter. We are looking at how they lived up to the public’s expectations. Who of these eight would you vote the worst Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament? And why?

You can answer the question after reading the article on Daily Monitor’s website and on social media platforms. We will continue the debate on social media.

And for those who are bothered/angry at the media’s ongoing focus on Parliament, remember that the media is only doing its job. It shows what you are. It cannot and does not change what/who you are. It tells the public: Here is how politicians are spending your money.

Mr Musaazi Namiti is a journalist and former
Al Jazeera digital editor in charge of the Africa desk
[email protected]    @kazbuk