Speaker Anita Among Dismisses Censure Motion Against Mpuuga – Ssekikubo Left With No Choice

Speaker of parliament Anita Among has dismissed a motion to censure former leader of opposition Mathias Mpuuga and other backbench commissioners that were awarded the Shs 1.7 billion service award.

In her letter dated August 16 addressed to the mover of the motion MP Theodore Ssekikubo, Among says all aspects of the motion were addressed in a court ruling by Justice Douglas Karekona Singiza in the case of Bwette Daniel versus parliamentary commission.

“All aspects of the motion have been well canvassed in the ruling and continuing with the same would not only be an action of legal mootness but also violate the res judicata principle,” she said.

Speaker Among says she is constrained to “take further action on the motion following several court decisions that cited parliament for debating and resolving on matters that courts have decided upon”.

High Court’s Justice Douglas Karekona Singiza Tuesday ruled that, “the decision, dated 6 May 2022, to award the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (Hon. Matthias Mpuuga) Shs 500,000,000, and three other Commissioners Shs 400,000,000 each, as a service award was approved by Parliament and formed part of the budget presented by the executive as required by the Public Finance Management Act”.

He further ruled that the service award was approved by parliament in the appropriation bill under the title ‘Ex-gratia for political leaders.’

The judge observed: “The impugned [questioned] payment was approved by parliament in the Appropriation Bill under the title ‘Ex-gratia for Political Leaders… the fact that this vote formed part of the Appropriations Act is proof that the Minister of Finance had the opportunity to scrutinise the payment and that Parliament approved the ex-gratia vote.”

Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga county), wrote to the clerk to parliament Adolf Mwesigwa last week about the motion to censure Mpuuga and the three backbench commissioners. The motion was signed by 189 members of parliament.

Ssekikubo wanted former LOP Mathias Mpuuga and all commissioners that shared the Shs 1.7 billion to be censured.Parliament awarded Shs 500 million to former LOP Mathias Mpuuga and Shs 400 million each to commissioners Solomon Silwany (MP Bukooli county central), Prossy Mbabazi (DW MP Rubanda) and Esther Afoyochan (Zombo DW MP) in the controversial service award.

Mpuuga has since asked politicians including members of his party, National Unity Platform (NUP), who accused him of illegally benefitting from the service award to apologise to him.