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10 REASONS WHY THE 500 MILLION SHILLINGS TO HON. MATHIAS MPUUGA WAS AN ACT OF CORRUPTION AND ABUSE OF OFFICE
Facts:
On 6th May, 2022 there was a meeting of the Parliamentary Commission attended by Ms. Anitah Among, Hon. Mpuuga and the three NRM Commissioners of Parliament. This was two months after Hon. Zaake was illegally removed from that position. In that meeting, these leaders awarded themselves a collective amount of 1.7 billion shillings. Hon. Mpuuga was allocated 500 million shillings, while the three others were each awarded 400 million shillings. It was not until the minutes of the Parliamentary Commission were 'leaked' to the public almost two years later, that we all got to know about this.
Upon return to the country, I convened an urgent meeting of senior leaders of the Party who included all Deputy Presidents, the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General, the current Leader of the Opposition, the National Treasurer, Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi and Hon. Betty Nambooze. (Also invited was Hon. Medard Sseggona, who unfortunately was not able to attend.) In the presence of these leaders, Hon. Mpuuga admitted that the leaked minutes were genuine. He admitted that it was wrong and immoral and apologized for the same. He regretted his actions and categorically stated that in hindsight, he should never have involved himself in such.
He was strongly advised to step down from the Commission in public interest because that is what leaders do. He requested for some time to consult with and prepare his family and other stakeholders, which we agreed to, because it was only fair.
When the one day agreed upon passed and following several reminders, we decided to issue a public statement on the matter because it is indeed a public matter for which the people of Uganda expected answers. It is their money we are talking about! Before that, I personally kept in touch with him and implored him to do the moral thing, in order to save his image and that of the Party.
Unfortunately, following our public statement, Hon. Mpuuga has now released a statement apparently moving away from his earlier position and apology. His statement does not address the real issue of the 500 Million Shillings, and instead indirectly tries to justify this extreme act of immorality and corruption.
I have noted that some people do not have the full context of this matter, hence the need for this clarification.
Here are 10 reasons why this money-heist was illegal, immoral and wrong- and totally unexpected from a person we delegated to represent our values in Parliament, and lead the charge against corruption and misuse of public resources.
1. As all former Leaders of the Opposition have confirmed, none of them ever received a 'Service Award'. What was special about the service of Hon. Mpuuga to warrant a Service Award that was never given to his predecessors? Secondly, even if Hon. Mpuuga and the three NRM Parliamentary Commissioners had done anything exceptional, would it be up to them to sit and award themselves for a job well done? I mean, it defeats basic logic for anyone to say they are awarding themselves- moreover with hundreds of millions of tax payers' money. Does that mean that every public servant should now sit in his office and allocate some money to themselves for feeling good about themselves and the work they do?
2. In the widely shared minutes of the Parliamentary Commission, it was clearly indicated that the said money was 'person to holder'- meaning that it would not extend to any of the former or subsequent Leaders of the Opposition. They would be the first and last to receive this money. In our meeting with Hon. Mpuuga, he stated that the reasoning here was that every incoming LOP should negotiate his or her own 'Service Award'. Really? We asked, "What if the next LOP negotiates for 10 billion shillings of tax payers' money as his or her Service Award? How would we explain this?"
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