KAMPALA, UGANDA — A motion to censure four parliamentary commissioners has gained significant momentum following President Yoweri Museveni’s recent comments, which many interpret as tacit approval.

Long-serving Lwemiyaga County legislator Theodore Ssekikubo and Tororo District Women MP Sarah Opendi, both from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, are spearheading the initiative.

The duo launched a signature collection drive three weeks ago, urging fellow legislators to support the motion to remove commissioners Solomon Silwany (Bukooli Central), Mathias Mpuuga (Nyendo Mukungwe), Esther Afoyochan (Zombo District), and Prossy Akampurira (Rubanda District). The commissioners are accused of awarding themselves UGX 1.7 billion in what the motion’s proponents call irregular and corrupt service awards.

In his budget speech at Kololo Independence Grounds on Thursday, President Museveni addressed the issue of corruption, stating, “Corruption is very dangerous, don’t involve me in your struggles with the Commissioners, that is another matter, but it is corruption.”

That statement has emboldened other NRM MPs, who had been hesitant to sign the censure motion despite directives from the Government Chief Whip advising against it.

Ssekikubo announced yesterday that they have gathered 164 signatures, just 12 short of the required 176 to bring the motion to the parliamentary floor. He expressed optimism that the remaining signatures would be collected next week, enabling the motion to proceed.

The censure motion targets the commissioners for what is seen as a blatant misuse of public funds, a stance that resonates with President Museveni’s broader anti-corruption rhetoric.

The President’s indirect endorsement has effectively neutralized the Chief Whip’s instructions, thereby rallying additional support among NRM legislators.

If successful, the motion will lead to the removal of Mpuuga, Silwany, Afoyochan, and Akampurira from their commissioner roles, marking a significant political shift within the parliamentary landscape.