The National Unity Platform (NUP), has asked Former Leader of Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, to step down as a parliamentary commissioner with immediate effect, following a cash bonanza in Parliament.
This follows an ongoing online protest under the #UgandaParliament Exhibition. The protest aims at exposing the massive corruption, abuse of office and gross mismanagement of public affairs by the leadership of Parliament and other leaders.
The protest has revealed grand misuse of public resources in the August house, where a number of leaders have been implicated.
Notably, the Nyendo Mukungwe MP, also the current Parliamentary Commissioner Mpuuga, alongside three other Parliamentary Commissioners have been accused of irregularly awarding themselves huge sums of tax-payers’ money under the guise of “Service Awards”.
It is alleged that Mpuuga was allocated 500,000,000/= (Five Hundred Million Uganda Shillings), while other commissioners received, Shs 400 million each.
This prompted an emergency meeting, convened by the NUP President, Robert Kyagulanyi. According to NUP, a number of senior leaders of the Party including all Deputy Presidents and senior legislators were in attendance.
NUP revealed that in the meeting, Mpuuga admitted that he indeed took part in the cash bonanza and apologised for it.
However, the party said as part of its values, Mpuuga was advised to step down from his position as a parliamentary commissioner.
“In light of this, he was strongly advised that the moral thing to do in the circumstances is to step down from his role as Parliamentary Commissioner with immediate effect,” a statement from the party read.
The party revealed that the actions of corruption and abuse of office go contrary to these values.
“They also go contrary to the Integrity Oath which every leader of the Party swore at the start of this term.We, therefore, ask our leaders at all levels to do self-reflection and recommit themselves to these values and the Oath they took to shun and fight corruption in all its forms,” read a statement.
By press time, Mpuuga had not stepped down as a parliamentary commissioner, a post he has recently assumed.
Earlier, the new Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, spoke out on the rage that is the #UgandaParliamentExhibition saying it is indicative of a population which realises that leaders MUST be accountable to the citizenry.
“I’ve seen some dismiss the campaign, but I believe that as leaders we owe it to our country to provide cogent responses to the numerous allegations,” “Ssenyonyi posted on X, adding “that is the only way we shall live up to the vision of Parliament which is “A transformed, independentrs and people-centred Parliament.”