Ssekikubo Motion Gains Momentum As More Legislators Append Their Signatures - Less Than 40 Signatures Remaining.

Lwemiyaga County Legislator Hon.Theodore Ssekikubo and Sarah Opendi who are leading the collection of signatures to censure four parliamentary commissioners accused of misconduct where over 135 signatures have so far been raised out of the 177 signature required.

Among the Legislators who have given momentum to the motion and appended their signature today are Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi (Mawokota South) who also doubles as FDC Party Whip.

He has led his Party in appending his signature on the ongoing censure motion intended to recall the four Commissioners from their office over the allocation of Shs1.7Bn in service awards and extra Shs23m monthly salary, but denied having any personal vendetta against any of the accused Commissioners.

Addressing journalists after signing the motion, Nsibambi defended his move, saying it is intended to give the accused an opportunity to account to Uganda on how they have been conducting business in Parliament.

Hon. Ssekikubo has praised Hon Nsibambi for joining the cause against corruption noting, ''Thank you on behalf of the people of Mawokota County for doing this noble duty. We aren’t after anybody but as Parliament, we should be leading by example in the fight against corruption.”

Additionally, Agnes Taaka (Bugiri DWR) also appended her signature to the censure motion, saying her move is based on the need to have Commissioners account and explain the various allowances they have been drawing as members of the Parliamentary Commission.

Also Hon Gilbert Olanya (Kilak South) claimed without evidence that many of his colleagues from Acholi are actually running from the village, to come and sign and later move back to their villages noting, “This is the way to go, we shouldn’t be condoning corruption in our country, you can’t allocate funds to yourselves, this is impunity, so we should stop encouraging impunity in this country. Government resources must be used by the taxpayers, you can’t allocate Government funds just to benefit yourself.”

“I have signed the petition so that we can have an opportunity for the Commissioners to explain to us how they come up with the benefits they get, and also to hold them accountable to us, because the Commissioners have turned to be Commissioners for themselves and they don’t care about the members. In fact, some of them get money from their benefits and come to our constituencies to fight against us and they compete with us yet for they are earning almost double the money that we earn as back benchers,” noted Agnes Taaka (Bugiri DWR).

On the same cause, Leader of Opposition Rt Hon Joel Ssenyonyi signed the motion on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, together with other opposition legislators. He said the motion vindicates his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), because when they raised alarm about the service award, some people had allegedly taken it as an internal fight within the party. 

The MPs, as per a Parliamentary Exhibition extensively shared on social media earlier this year, reportedly shared Shs1.7 billion as a service award. The four MPs are Mathias Mpuuga, the Nyendo Mukungwe  is said to have received UGX 500 million , commissioners reportedly received UGX 400 million are Solomon Silwany, the Bukooli Central MP; Woman MP Esther Afoyochan of Zombo district; and Prossy Akampulira Mbabazi, Rubanda’s Woman MP.