Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has stuck to her guns regarding her recent ruling to have the tenure for the current COSASE leadership extended to February, despite resistance from the Leader of Opposition.
Kadaga told reporters at Parliament on Thursday that she is the Speaker of Parliament and that her proposal to extend the tenure of Abdul Katuntu’s team will stand. She says her proposal is in the interest of Ugandans.
In December, shortly before Parliament went on recess for the festive season, Speaker Kadaga told legislators that she had written to the Leader of Opposition, Betty Aol Ochan, requesting her to allow for the changes in the committee leadership to be effected on the 20th February.
“I have written to her to allow that we change the committees on the 20th day of February to allow them time close the matter because the inquiry has reached a critical stage of investigation and changing the leadership will jeopardize effective conclusion of the inquiry,” Kadaga told the House.
The Committee on Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) is currently leading a probe into the Central Bank regarding the closure of seven defunct banks.
However, LOP, Betty Aol Ochan has since defied the call by the Speaker of the House to have the tenure of COSASE extended to February 2019.
Ochan said that the COSASE leadership of Abdu Katuntu and Anita Among could continue handling the Bank of Uganda probe but as a select committee.
The new leadership of Munyagwa should then be allowed to handle the outstanding business before COSASE, Ocan said.
But on Thursday, Kadaga said; “We expect COSASE to write a report and hand it over to the House. I’m not saying we can not have the changes, but they can happen when they have handed over the report”.
“It’s not that we are going to insist that they stay there”.
Regarding the suggestion by the Leader of Opposition to maintain the current COSASE leadership under Katuntu only as a select committee, Kadaga termed the suggestion as impracticable.
“There was a proposal that we transform a standing committee into a select committee. I find this proposal really strange and impracticable. You can not have a select committee of 30 people. Select committees have about 5 to 7 people,” the Speaker told the press at Parliament.
“In my view it is neater if they finish their report, hand it over to the House and then the changes can take place”.
Commenting on the defiance by Ochan towards the proposal for extension, Kadaga said: “I’m the Speaker of the House, i’m the head of this institution. And my proposal is good for the institituion. What we are doing is the work of the people of this country, not the parties”.
In August last year, FDC President Patrick Amuriat fired both Katuntu and Among replaced them with Mubarak Munyagwa and Moses Kasibante respectively but the new appointees couldn’t take office as the tenure of the current team was still on.