The Speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among, has halted the censure motion targeting four parliamentary commissioners involved in the controversial UGX 1.7 billion “service award” scandal.
Lwemiyaga MP, Theodore Ssekikubo, along with other MPs, had gathered the required signatures to initiate the censure process against Mathias Mpuuga, Prossy Akampurira, Esther Afoyochan, and Solomon Silwany.
These commissioners allegedly awarded themselves a substantial sum without securing the necessary approval from the Parliament. The motion was submitted to the Speaker’s office with the expectation that it would be addressed within 14 days.
However, on August 16, Speaker Among responded to Ssekikubo, stating that she was unable to advance the motion further. Her decision was based on legal precedents, particularly those where courts have prohibited Parliament from revisiting matters that have already been adjudicated.
Among specifically referenced the court ruling on the petition filed by Daniel Bwette against the Parliamentary Commission, which upheld the legality of the payment in question.
The ruling, delivered on August 12 by the Civil Division of the Court, affirmed that the decision authorizing the UGX 1.7 billion payment was lawful since it had been approved by Parliament and was included in the budget. Speaker Among cited Article 128(3) of the Ugandan Constitution, emphasizing the importance of all state organs, including Parliament, respecting court decisions.
“Indeed article 128(3) of the constitution of the Republic Of Uganda is clear on the fact that all organs and agencies of the state shall accord courts such assistance as may be required to ensure effectiveness of court,” reads part of the letter. The Lwemiyaga MP last week insisted that his motion had to go on.
Despite this, MP Ssekikubo argued that the issues raised in his motion were distinct from those addressed in the Bwette case. Nonetheless, Among maintained that the court’s ruling had covered all relevant aspects of Ssekikubo’s concerns, effectively blocking the censure motion from proceeding.
In response to the Speaker’s decision, various figures have voiced their opinions. Journalist and lawyer Agather Atuhaire suggested that the Ssekikubo motion was unlikely to succeed, citing the court’s ruling as a convenient reason to dismiss it.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi criticized the Parliamentary Commission for allegedly holding a meeting in secret, excluding some members, and then approving the disputed payments among themselves.
Ssenyonyi expressed frustration that, despite the public outrage and subsequent legal challenges, the matter appears to be protected by those in power, but vowed to continue pushing for accountability.
“The public was livid about this, a censure motion ensued, and the small clique found someone through whom they took the matter to court for “cleansing” Unfortunately for them, while the court tried to cleanse the small clique, the same court said the clerk to Parliament must be punished for the money shared by this clique,” said Ssenyonyi.
