By THE OBSERVER UG
In a recent development, the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) has criticized parliament for rejecting the removal of Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba from the parliamentary commission amid corruption allegations.
Speaker Anita Annet Among, in a letter dated March 25, dismissed NUP’s decision to recall Mpuuga as a commissioner of parliament and replace him with Mityana municipality MP Francis Zaake. NUP nominated Mpuuga to the commission in January 2024 after he was replaced as the leader of opposition (LoP) in the 11th parliament, a position he held for two and a half years. Nakawa West representative, Joel Ssenyonyi, has since replaced him.
On March 18, NUP secretary-general Lewis Davis Rubongoya wrote to the speaker, conveying the decision of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) to withdraw Mpuuga due to allegations of corruptly receiving Shs 500 million in service award from the parliamentary commission.
However, Among rejected the decision in her reply to Rubongoya’s letter, citing legal restrictions and procedural deficits. She pointed out that the role of parties under the law is limited to nominating candidates for election to the office of commissioner of parliament. Once elected by parliament, the commissioners serve parliament as a whole, not individual party interests.
Rubongoya asserted that NUP was aware that Among would seek to protect Mpuuga and that their communication to parliament was meant to be on record to express their disapproval of corruption and abuse of office.
Mpuuga clarified during a press conference at parliament that he has no intention of stepping down from his mandate and reiterated that he will not leave the party for any reason.
Meanwhile, the secretary general of Mpuuga’s mother party, Democratic Party (DP), Dr. Gerard Siranda Blacks, criticized the Administration of Parliament Act and Rules of Procedure of Parliament, stating that they are unfair to political parties. He proposed amendments to allow parties to exercise control over nominated members.
This situation is not unique to NUP, as the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Mpuuga’s previous attempts to replace Martin Ojara Mapenduzi with Kilak South MP Gilbert Olanya in 2020 faced similar challenges.
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